Google feed ads reward strong visuals. Get the specs wrong and your ad doesn't show. Get the creative wrong and it gets scrolled past.
This guide covers both.
> Quick answer: Google feed ads (Demand Gen) need high-quality images in three aspect ratios, landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), and portrait (4:5), with critical elements inside the center 80% safe zone. PNG or JPEG only. Max 5 MB per file. Design mobile-first and keep on-image text minimal.
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What Are Google Feed Ads (Discover/Demand Gen)?
Feed ads are the highest-reach visual format in Google Ads. They look like organic content and blend into the surfaces people already browse every day.
Definition and platforms where they appear
Google feed ads were formerly called Discovery Ads. Google rebranded them to Demand Gen campaigns in March 2024. The name changed. The placements stayed the same.
They appear across three Google properties: the Google Discover feed, YouTube Home and Watch feeds, and Gmail Promotions and Social tabs. Combined, these surfaces reach 2.9 billion monthly users.
How feed ads differ from other Google ad formats
Search ads intercept active intent. Feed ads reach people mid-browse, before they start searching. That single difference changes everything about how you design them.
Feed ads must earn attention. They can't rely on keyword relevance. The visual does the heavy lifting.
User intent and placement context
Your audience isn't actively looking for you yet. They're reading news, watching videos, or checking email. A strong creative stops the scroll. A weak one is invisible.
Creative quality is the biggest lever in feed ad performance.
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Image Dimensions and Technical Specifications
Per Google's Ads Help Center, feed ads require assets in multiple aspect ratios. Google's AI then optimizes which creative appears on each surface and device.
Required aspect ratios (landscape, square, portrait)
Three ratios are required: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), and portrait (4:5). Upload all three. A missing ratio restricts where your ads can serve.
Pixel dimensions and minimum/recommended sizes
- Landscape: 1200 x 628 px recommended, 600 x 314 px minimum
- Square: 1200 x 1200 px recommended, 300 x 300 px minimum
- Portrait: 960 x 1200 px recommended
Always target recommended dimensions. Minimum-size images look blurry on high-resolution screens and signal low production quality.
File format and size requirements
Use PNG or JPEG only. Maximum file size is 5 MB (5,120 KB) per image. Compress without sacrificing sharpness. Blurry or pixelated images can be disapproved.
Logo specifications
Square logos (1:1 ratio, 1200 x 1200 px recommended) are required for feed-based placements on Google Discover and YouTube feeds. Landscape logos (4:1 ratio, 1200 x 300 px recommended) are optional but extend your reach across smaller ad slots.
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Design Best Practices for Feed Ads
High-resolution, clear product imagery
Blurry images fail. Use sharp, high-resolution visuals that clearly show your product or service. Clean lighting, a clear subject, and a purposeful composition all matter.
Minimal text and avoiding visual pitfalls
Keep on-image text minimal. Heavy text reduces performance and limits placement reach across the Google Network. Your headline and description fields carry the message. The image's job is to stop the scroll.
Safe area and center-focus composition
Keep all critical elements within the center 80% of your image. Google adapts your creative across placements and screen sizes. Anything near the edges can be cropped. Faces, products, logos, and any text must stay inside that safe zone.
Brand consistency and logo placement
Upload a square logo asset with every ad group. Consistent branding across Discover, YouTube, and Gmail builds recognition over repeated impressions. Use a clean logo on a transparent or solid background.
Mobile-first design principles
Most Discover and Gmail impressions happen on mobile. Design square and portrait formats first. Bold visuals, high contrast, and a clear focal point read fast on small screens. Test landscape for desktop and YouTube Watch feed contexts.
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Creative Quality Standards
Avoiding cluttered backgrounds and awkward cropping
Busy backgrounds compete with your subject. Use clean or contextual environments that don't pull focus. Crop intentionally. Awkward cropping signals low production quality and can trigger disapproval.
Avoiding implied interactivity and fake UI elements
Never add fake play buttons, download arrows, or interface elements that don't work. Google's policy prohibits implied interactivity. Ads with these elements will be disapproved.
Testing multiple image formats and aspect ratios
Google's AI optimizes toward your best-performing assets. Upload at least 15 images across all three aspect ratios per asset group. More variation gives the algorithm more to test and more paths to strong performance.
Eye-catching visuals that stand out in feeds
High contrast. Bold color. One clear focal point. Feed users scroll fast. Your creative has roughly half a second to earn a pause. Put your strongest visual representation of the product or offer front and center.
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Optimizing Your Feed Ad Creative
When to use Coinis Image Ads and Revise
Designing feed ads in three aspect ratios for multiple products is slow work done manually. Coinis Image Ads generates on-brand creatives from a product URL. Feed it your Brand Profile and product details, and get feed-ready images built around your offer.
Coinis publishes directly to Meta today. For Google Demand Gen campaigns, export your creatives and upload them through Google Ads Manager. The creative workflow is identical. Only the upload destination changes.
Quick iteration and A/B testing creatives
The Revise tool's Variate capability generates multiple creative variations from a single image in seconds. Test different visual treatments without redesigning from scratch. Swap out underperforming assets with fresh iterations before your campaign budget drains.
Resizing for multiple placements with Smart Resize
Smart Resize handles all three required aspect ratios in one step. Upload your landscape hero image. Smart Resize outputs the square and portrait versions with the subject correctly centered. No manual cropping. No safe-zone guesswork.
Batch creation across all three aspect ratios
Updating a seasonal offer or a product line? Coinis's Sale Promo workflow generates discount-ready creatives across all formats from a single brief. Build your complete creative set once, export all three ratios, and upload directly to Google Ads.
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Or let Coinis do it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Google Discovery Ads and Demand Gen?
Google Discovery Ads were rebranded to Demand Gen campaigns in March 2024. The placements are the same: Google Discover feed, YouTube Home and Watch feeds, and Gmail Promotions and Social tabs. Demand Gen adds additional creative capabilities and audience controls, but the core image specs and design principles remain consistent.
What image sizes do Google feed ads require?
Google feed ads require three aspect ratios. Landscape (1.91:1): recommended 1200 x 628 px, minimum 600 x 314 px. Square (1:1): recommended 1200 x 1200 px, minimum 300 x 300 px. Portrait (4:5): recommended 960 x 1200 px. All images must be PNG or JPEG and under 5 MB.
How many images should I upload per asset group for Google feed ads?
Google recommends uploading at least 15 images per asset group across all three aspect ratios. More creative variety gives Google's AI more options to test and optimize, which typically improves performance over time.
Can I include text in my Google feed ad images?
Minimal text is allowed in Google feed ad images, but heavy on-image text reduces performance and can limit placement reach. Best practice is to keep the image clean and let the headline and description fields carry your written message.