Google Ads Lead Form Assets: How, When + Why You Should Use Them

Google Ads lead form assets allow advertisers to capture lead info directly from ads without requiring users to visit a landing page. Read on to learn how, when, and why you should use them.

Streamlining processes is a huge topic in digital marketing, and lead generation is a great place to start.

Google Ads lead form assets are one way to connect through your Google search ads and reach more people in your online community.

We spoke with lead strategist Abigail Beene to get the skinny on this topic, including some expert insights on how and when to use this awesome feature.

Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about lead form assets.

What are Google Ads lead form assets?

Google Ads lead form assets are a feature that allows advertisers to capture lead info directly from ads without requiring users to visit a landing page.

If a user is signed into their Google account, they’ll be directed to a Google-hosted form that’s already pre-populated with their contact information – and they can convert with one click.

By streamlining the process for potential customers to express interest, lead gen form assets are particularly useful for businesses looking to generate leads quickly and efficiently.

Sounds like a solid win for both users and marketers — but this is one of those features that works better in some cases than others.

Why use Google ads lead form assets?

“From a rank and quality standpoint, it’s almost always a good idea to incorporate as many assets as possible in your ads,” Beene explains.

“These will allow your ads to take up more space on the search results page, and Google tends to serve these ads more, as they keep users on Google for a longer period of time.”

(Image: Unsplash)

How do they work?

This is an excellent way to snag leads without users directly visiting your site. So, how do they work?

Ad display

Lead form assets appear as part of your search, display, YouTube, and discovery ads. When someone clicks on your ad, they see a form that asks for their information.

Form customization

These forms are also super customizable. You can request specific information such as name, email address, and phone number, as well as include custom questions to gather more targeted info.

Lead capture

Then, users can submit their information directly within the form, making the process quick and convenient. This reduces any friction associated with navigating to a separate landing page.

Lead management

The collected leads can be downloaded manually as a CSV file from Google Ads or integrated with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, allowing for seamless lead management and follow-up.

Call-to-action (CTA)

Ads with lead form assets typically include a strong CTA like “Get Quote,” “Sign Up,” or “Request Info,” encouraging users to submit their details.

What are the limitations?

Lead form assets offer lots of benefits, but as with any marketing tool, there are also some limitations to keep in mind.

Can only be used for specific campaign types

Lead form assets can only be used with certain types of PPC or SEO campaigns:

• Search
• Display
• Video
• Discovery

This, of course, restricts their use in other campaign types, such as Shopping campaigns.

Form fields

Although you can customize form fields to some extent, the options are somewhat limited compared to fully customizable web forms. This can restrict the depth of information you can gather from leads.

Privacy policy requirement

In order to use lead form assets, you must have a privacy policy. This can be a hurdle for small businesses or startups that may not have one readily available.

Data storage and usage

Google Ads only stores the collected leads for 30 days. After this period, you won’t be able to access the leads through Google Ads, so timely data export and management is an absolute must.

Can’t directly integrate with all CRMs

While Google Ads supports webhook integration for real-time lead data transfer to CRMs, setting this up requires technical knowledge.

Additionally, not all CRMs may support direct integration via webhook URLs, requiring additional steps or third-party tools (e.g. Zapier).

Mobile users

Lead form assets are optimized for mobile devices, which is great for mobile traffic but can result in a suboptimal user experience on desktops.

This can affect the overall conversion rates if a significant portion of your audience uses desktop devices.

Complex conversion tracking

Tracking conversions from lead form assets can be more complex than tracking conversions from website forms. You need to ensure proper setup and integration with your analytics tools to measure the performance accurately.

Lead quality

The simplicity is great for users, but it can sometimes lead to lower-quality leads.

Users might submit their information without sufficient consideration, resulting in less engaged (or less relevant) leads.

Ad policy compliance

As a Google feature, lead form assets must comply with Google’s ad policies, including restrictions on the types of questions you can ask and the industries that can use this lead form asset.

For example, more sensitive categories like health or finance might have additional restrictions.

Who do they work best for?

Like many digital marketing tools, lead form assets are not for everyone.

For example, Beene advises that for industries where users need to do more research before converting, lead form assets are likely not the best option.

“Because [lead form assets] encourage users to convert before ever clicking onto a website, they’re unlikely to produce many high-quality leads this way, as the user hasn’t had a chance to explore the brand,” says Beene.

On the flip side, advertisers with a lot of brand recognition or repeat customers could benefit from these assets, since users typically already have an idea of what they have to offer.

Lastly, says Beene, “These assets may work well for companies that offer more urgent services, such as plumbing or other home services.”

This is especially true if the lead form is to inquire about pricing. People who need something fixed quickly could convert right from the form, and response time may be their highest priority.

When should I use lead form assets?

Beene took us through a couple of circumstances where lead form assets could work well for advertisers regardless of industry.

Branded campaigns

If a user knows a brand well enough to search for their name specifically, there’s a much higher chance they’d be willing to fill out a lead form before clicking on the ad to explore the site

Search retargeting or RLSA campaigns

These campaigns target a group of users who have already visited your website but may not have converted yet. Because we know this audience has already explored the site, including a lead form asset may be a good option to provide a quick and easy way for those users to convert.

How to create lead form assets

Ready to hit the ground running? Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for creating lead form assets in Google Ads.

Step 1: Sign in

• Sign in: Use your credentials to sign in to your Google Ads account.

Step 2: Create a new campaign (or select an existing one)

• If you’re creating a new campaign:
  • Click the + New campaign button.
  • Choose your campaign goal (e.g., sales, website traffic, leads).
  • Select the campaign type (e.g., search campaign or discovery campaign).
  • Follow the prompts to set up your campaign settings.
• If you’re selecting an existing campaign:
  • Navigate to the Campaigns tab.
  • Select the campaign you want to add the lead form asset to.

Step 3: Add lead form assets

• Navigate to ads & assets:
  • In the left-hand menu, click on ads & assets.
  • Click on the assets tab.
• Create a new lead form asset:
  • Click the + button and select lead form asset from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: Set up your lead form asset

• Enter the details:
  • Add a compelling headline for your form.
  • Enter your business name.
  • Write a brief description to encourage users to fill out the form (e.g., “Sign up to receive our newsletter and exclusive offers”).

• Form details:
  • Select the information you want to collect (e.g., email, name, phone number). Remember, you can also add custom questions.
  • Provide the URL to your privacy policy.

• Form submission message:
  • Enter a thank you message or a confirmation message that users will see after submitting the form (e.g., “Thanks for signing up! We’ll be in touch soon”).

• Call-to-Action:
  • Select the call-to-action text, such as, “Get Quote,” “Sign Up,” or “Contact Us.”

Step 5: Customize

This step is optional. But it can help you stand out in the crowd.

• Background image: You can upload a background image for your lead form to make it more visually appealing.

• Delivery method: Choose how you want to receive your leads:
  • Download: You can download leads manually in a CSV file from Google Ads.
  • Webhook Integration: Integrate with a webhook to automatically send leads to your CRM or other systems.

Step 6: Review and save!

• Review: Check all the information you’ve entered to ensure accuracy.
• Save: Click the Save button to save your lead form asset.

Step 7: Monitor and optimize

• Keep an eye on performance by checking the metrics in the Google Ads dashboard.
• Make any necessary adjustments or optimizations based on performance data to improve lead quality and conversion rates.

The takeaway

We think Beene sums it up nicely: “It’s important to note that incorporating lead form assets won’t be best practice for every advertiser. Downsides can include the lead form asset showing instead of another one you’d prefer to show, or getting an influx of spam or bot leads”

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore more. They can be great for some advertisers or in highly-targeted Google Ads campaigns (like branded or RLSA).

However, Beene recommends testing this strategy before launching with a lot of budget behind it. “Be sure you pay close attention to the quality of leads that come from the asset, and not only determine if the strategy is successful based on lead quality.”

Think lead form assets might be a good fit for you? Chat with the Hawks today and we can get you started.