Google has quietly rolled out a new feature for Demand Gen advertisers that automatically generates screenshots of landing pages to display directly in ads as previews.
The new option, labeled "Show a screenshot of your landing page in your ads," appears as a checkbox in the Google Ads interface and has been observed to be enabled by default for some advertisers. This feature allows Google to pull a visual preview of the destination landing page, giving potential customers a preview of what to expect before they click.
How It Works
When this feature is enabled, Google automatically captures a screenshot of the advertiser's landing page and incorporates it as a preview element within the ad creative. This provides users with a visual "sneak peek" of the destination they'll reach after clicking, potentially increasing transparency and improving click quality.
Ideal Use Cases
This feature appears particularly beneficial for:
- Websites with visually appealing designs
- Advertisers interested in A/B testing screenshot previews against standard ad creatives
- Demand Gen video ads where visual elements play a crucial role in capturing audience attention
Implementation Notes
Currently, the feature has primarily been observed in Lead-Gen Video Ads, suggesting a targeted rollout that may expand to other campaign types in the future.
Best Practices
As this feature automatically showcases your landing page design as part of your ad creative, advertisers should ensure their landing pages are visually optimized. The landing page screenshot effectively becomes an extension of the ad creative itself, making landing page design quality even more critical for advertising success.
For advertisers spending budget on Google Ads, maintaining high-quality landing pages should already be standard practice, as this feature simply makes the landing page more visible earlier in the user journey.
