Best Way to Make a Discount Google Ad

Why Discount Ads Matter on Google

Discount ads intercept deal-seekers at the exact moment they are ready to buy. A well-built Google discount ad puts your offer in front of high-intent users before they even reach your site.

How promotion assets attract deal-seekers

Promotion Assets add up to two lines of promotional text below your main Search ad. That extra real estate surfaces your deal before the user clicks. Per Google's Ads Help Center, Promotion Assets run across Search, Shorts, and In-stream video campaigns. More visibility. Same ad slot.

Cost structure (free to add, you pay per click)

Adding a Promotion Asset costs nothing. You pay the same per-click rate as any click on the main headline. More ad content. No extra charge. It is one of the highest-value additions in Google Ads.

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Choose Your Ad Format for Discounts

Three formats carry discount messaging well. Pick the one that matches your campaign type.

Promotion Assets (Search, Shorts, In-stream video)

Promotion Assets display monetary or percentage discounts directly below your ad text. They are the fastest way to surface an offer on Search. Create them at the account, campaign, or ad group level. Ad group settings take priority over account-level settings when multiple levels exist.

Responsive Display Ads

Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) distribute your discount creatives across the Google Display Network. Per Google's documentation, landscape images need a minimum of 600 × 314 px and square images a minimum of 300 × 300 px. All image files must stay under 5 MB. Supply up to five short headlines, one long headline, and up to five descriptions.

Performance Max campaigns

Performance Max runs your discount ads across every Google channel at once. Per Google's guidance on Performance Max image assets, you need a minimum of seven image assets: at least three landscape, three square, and one portrait. Start building those assets 2–3 weeks before your sale event. Early prep protects campaign performance during the transition.

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Create High-Impact Discount Creative Assets

Strong creative is what separates a discount ad that converts from one that gets skipped.

Image specifications and best practices

For RDAs, Google's best practices guide recommends a landscape image at 1,200 × 628 px and a square image at 1,200 × 1,200 px, both under 5 MB. For Performance Max, include at least one image at 1,200 × 1,200 px. Use high-contrast visuals. Show the product clearly. Avoid busy backgrounds that compete with the offer text.

Copywriting discount messaging (urgency, clarity, benefit)

Lead with the saving. "Save 30% today" beats "Great deals available." Add a deadline. Phrases like "ends Sunday" or "this weekend only" create urgency and move hesitant shoppers. Be specific. "40% off running shoes" outperforms "big shoe sale." Per Google's Ads Help, headlines max out at 30 characters. Front-load the offer.

Adding promo codes and terms

Promotion Assets support promo code fields. Enter the code directly in the asset. Add any terms in the promotion details field. Keep terms short and honest. Google's editorial policy requires ad copy to match what users find on your landing page. A mismatch triggers disapproval.

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Set Up Promotion Assets Step-by-Step

The setup takes under five minutes once your creative is ready.

Navigate to Assets and create a new promotion

In Google Ads, open Assets from the left menu. Click the blue plus icon. Select Promotion.

Select occasion or custom dates

Google offers pre-set occasions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Mother's Day, each with automatic date ranges. For other promotions, select custom dates. One policy to note: Promotion Assets not modified within six months automatically stop serving.

Choose discount type (monetary or percentage)

Select either a monetary discount ("$20 off") or a percentage discount ("30% off"). Both appear as additional text below your main ad. Pick the format that reads most clearly for your offer.

Add promotional details and landing page URL

Write your promotional text. Add a promo code if your offer requires one. Paste the landing page URL. The landing page must clearly reflect the advertised offer. No generic homepages. The user clicked a specific deal. Show it immediately.

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Optimize for Maximum Conversions

Setup is the floor, not the ceiling.

Refresh creative frequently before peak seasons

For Performance Max, begin transitioning from generic to sale-focused assets 2–3 weeks before the event. Stale creative underperforms as competition spikes around holidays and major sales days. Google's own best practices guide recommends this cadence.

Test multiple discount messages and images

Create 3–4 ad variations per ad group with different messages and images. Google Ads shows better-performing variations more often. More variations means faster learning. Identify your top performer, then push budget behind it.

Link to a dedicated landing page with a clear CTA

Every discount ad needs a page that mirrors the offer. Repeat the discount on-page. Show the price. Use one clear CTA. A strong landing page converts the click the Promotion Asset worked to earn.

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Generate Discount Ads Faster with Coinis

Building multiple discount ad variations is time-consuming. The Coinis Sale Promo workflow auto-generates on-brand discount creatives from your product URL. Multiple formats. Multiple messages. Ready to test.

Coinis publishes directly to Facebook and Instagram today. TikTok and Google Ads publishing are on the roadmap. In the meantime, Coinis handles the creative and copy side. You take the finished assets into Google Ads and launch. Your Creative Library stores every variation for the next campaign.

Or let Coinis do it.

From a product URL to a live Meta campaign. AI-generated creatives. On-brand copy. Direct publish to Facebook and Instagram. Real performance reporting. All in one platform.

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