Google Ads · Status at source date: Test
Google tests collapsed sitelinks behind a count indicator
Arpan Banerjee spotted Google hiding extra ad assets behind a “+2” indicator, and Barry Schwartz independently reproduced the collapsed sitelink treatment.
What changed
Arpan Banerjee’s LinkedIn observation shows a Search ad with additional assets behind a plus-two indicator. Barry Schwartz’s subsequent report says he could reproduce the treatment and distinguishes the collapsed default view from the expanded view. His report also links earlier expandable-sitelink tests, so this observation concerns a particular presentation rather than the invention of expandable links.
The local newsletter screenshot shows a sponsored business result with the indicator alongside a line of links and a downward control. That is evidence of what one captured result looked like. It does not establish how often this treatment appeared, which advertisers were eligible, or whether the layout changed click or conversion rates. Those limits matter when deciding whether the observation warrants a campaign change.
Why it matters for advertisers
PMC analysis: an asset being supplied to the platform does not ensure that its message is visible in the first view of an ad. If a sitelink carries information that is central to the offer, such as the only route to a quote page, the team should check whether the headline, description and landing page still make the proposition understandable on their own. A collapsed group introduces an extra interaction before some choices can be seen.
This is a reason to review message hierarchy, not to delete sitelinks. Additional destinations can still help people who expand the result, while removing assets would confound any attempt to understand the layout. Keep a record of the query and presentation, then compare meaningful business outcomes with sufficient context. A change in aggregate click-through rate alone cannot identify a layout test as the cause, especially when the account does not control who sees it.
What to check next
- Inspect representative ad presentations and note which information is visible before expansion, without assuming one screenshot represents every search.
- Make the central proposition and next step clear in the primary ad and landing page. Keep sitelinks useful as additional routes for distinct needs.
- Save dated examples and assess any asset-level performance movement alongside query, device and campaign changes before drawing conclusions about the test.
Sources & contributor credit
- Newsletter coverage · Paid Media Collective newsletter
Original newsletter text, contributor labels and media for this update.
- Source referenced in newsletterLinkedIn
Linked from the original newsletter. The source publication date has not been independently confirmed.
- Supporting reportSearch Engine Roundtable
Read during historical rewrite; credits Arpan Banerjee and reports independent reproduction.
Source attribution checked
Arpan Banerjee authored the original linked observation. Barry Schwartz supplies separate corroborating reporting. Historical newsletter first-contributor label remains historical, without a new priority assertion.
Attribution evidence and limitations
Read Arpan Banerjee’s complete short cached post and recovered/read the Roundtable report online. The report explicitly distinguishes a new format from earlier expandable-sitelink tests and describes Barry’s independent reproduction.
Retained original newsletter and Arpan post/profile links. Recovered the specific Roundtable article as supplementary evidence; it links Arpan’s observation. No first-reporting timestamp claim added.
Viewed web/public/news/newsletter/google-search-ads-collapsed-sitelinks-count.jpg. It shows IDS Logic sponsored result, a +2 count and red arrow. No creator watermark; photographer/screenshot annotator unknown. Did not inspect the separate Roundtable screenshots.
- Read original short post text reporting +2 collapsed assets.
- Recovered online and read body; explicit Arpan spotting credit and Barry’s own reproduction.
Attribution checked . This is a review date, not the original publication date.
- Published on this site
- Article updated
This update reflects the dated source reporting. Availability may have changed. Further coverage of this same development will be added to this page.
Original newsletter text and archive evidence
Google tests collapsed sitelinks behind a count indicator
Arpan Banerjee spotted Google hiding extra ad assets behind a “+2” indicator, and Barry Schwartz independently reproduced the collapsed sitelink treatment. Expandable sitelinks have appeared in earlier tests, so the change concerns this presentation rather than the introduction of expandable assets themselves. For you, this means checking how important sitelinks appear in actual search results and avoiding assumptions that every supplied asset will be visible before someone expands the ad.
Source captured . First-contributor labels follow the newsletter’s explicit wording.
