The Complete Creative Asset Guide for Google Ads (PMax, Search & YouTube) – 2025 Edition
August 13, 2025
Struggling to get your Google Ads to perform?
You’ve spent hours crafting the perfect image, writing catchy headlines, and selecting just the right video. But then… your ad goes live, and the CTA gets covered, text gets cut off, or your logo is hidden behind Meta’s or YouTube’s interface. Frustrating, right?
We get it — designing Google Ads in 2025 is no small task. Whether it’s PMax, Search Ads, or YouTube videos, it’s easy to miss key rules and tips that can help your ads succeed.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This guide gives you the specs, design tips, and best ways to make each type of Google ad so you don’t waste time or money and can create ads that really work.
When you’re setting up a Google Ads campaign, headlines, descriptions, and other creative assets are the building blocks of your ad. Each piece has its own role to play, and getting them right can make a huge difference in your ad performance.
In a Performance Max campaign on Google Ads, you need to give headlines, descriptions, images, and CTAs. Google will mix and test them to find the best ads for your audience. You don’t need to manually choose which headline or CTA to use; Google will handle it and show the best-performing combinations.
Here’s the breakdown:
Short headlines are the first thing people see. They need to grab attention instantly and make people want to click. With 30 characters max, your short headlines should be concise and punchy.
Example Short Headlines:
· Boost your sales today!
· Start your free trial now
· Discover your new favorite tool
· Try it free for 30 days
· Save time with this app
· Get more customers now
· Unlock your potential today
· Fast results, guaranteed
· Grow your business now
· Don’t wait, act today
· Get started in minutes
· Easy solutions, right here
· Start growing now
· Reach new customers fast
· Click to start your journey
These are attention-grabbing and straight to the point, all within the 30-character limit.
Long headlines give you more space to explain what your ad is about. With 90 characters available, you can be a little more detailed while still keeping the message clear and compelling.
Example Long Headlines:
· Discover how to increase sales with smarter ad targeting and analytics.
· Start your free trial today and see how we can boost your business quickly.
· Grow your business with powerful tools designed to help you succeed.
· Find out how we’ve helped over 1,000 businesses grow with our solutions.
· Learn how to improve your marketing and drive results with our expert services.
The short description is your chance to give just a bit more context. With only 60 characters to work with, make it action-oriented and keep the focus on benefits.
Example Short Description:
· Try it free today — boost your sales and grow your business fast.
Your long description gives a bit more room to explain what you offer and why it’s valuable. Use it to highlight key features and make the value clear.
Example Long Descriptions:
· Start today with a free trial. No credit card needed. See instant results.
· Our solution is designed to help you grow your business quickly and effectively.
· Unlock better results and improve your ad performance with our tools and guidance.
· Join thousands of businesses who’ve already experienced faster growth and success.
Your business name is a key part of your ad’s identity. Keep it clear and recognizable within 25 characters.
Example Business Name:
· ABC Digital Solutions
Your logo is essential for branding and trust. Keep the file size under 150KB for fast loading, and ensure the image is crisp and easy to see at the required size (1200x1200px)
PMax ads use multiple asset types to reach people across Google’s platforms. These ads let Google’s machine learning show the best-performing combinations. But to make them work, you need the right creative assets.
When you make Google Ads, your images and text should follow rules, so they load quickly, look good, and work better.
The image sizes mentioned below are the types of images you need to prepare for your Google Ads Performance Max campaign. Google will mix your images, headlines, descriptions, and CTAs for Meta Ads to find what works best and show the top ads in different places.
Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know to get your images and animations just right.
· Logo (Square): 1200 x 1200 px (1 image)
· Logo (Horizontal): 1200 x 300 px (1 image)
· Horizontal Image: 1200 x 628 px (4 variations)
· Square Image: 1200 x 1200 px (4 variations)
· Vertical Image: 960 x 1200 px (2 variations)
Best practice:
Your images are the face of your ad, so they need to look sharp and professional. Here’s what you need to know about size, format, and optimization.
· File Size: The maximum file size for images is 150KB. Keep it small without compromising quality.
· File Format for Images: Use the JPG format for all your images. It’s the most efficient option for online ads.
Image Selection: If your image has a white or transparent background, always add a 1-pixel border. This helps the image stand out and avoid blending with the background.
This horizontal video is designed for landscape-oriented placements, such as display ads or video ads that show up in wider areas (like YouTube ads or desktop placements)
You need to create 1 variation of this horizontal video.
This square video is ideal for social media feeds (such as Instagram and Facebook) and other platforms that use square ad formats. It will work well on both desktop and mobile devices.
You need to create 1 variation of this square video.
This vertical video is designed for full-screen mobile placements, especially for Instagram Stories, Reels, or Facebook Stories.
You need to create 1 variation of this vertical video.
Best practice:
The maximum file size for videos is 500MB, and the length should be between 10 to 59 seconds. Videos must be in MP4 format, and it’s essential to always include subtitles to make your videos more accessible and engaging.
Now that you’ve covered the creative specs for Performance Max and learned how to craft strong ad copy, it’s time to dig into the heart of Google Ads — Search Ads.
In the next part of this series, we’ll explore how to make your Search, YouTube, and PMax ads stand out with high-performing creative assets, smart CTAs, and the right formats to connect with your audience.