Google Gives Shorts and Gmail Image Ads a One-Tap Route to Landing Pages

Google says a person viewing a Demand Gen image ad in YouTube Shorts or Gmail can reach the advertiser’s landing page with one tap. In its September 24 announcement, Google specified an uploaded, full-bleed 9:16 image for the Shorts experience. For businesses using these ads to direct people to their own sites, the change makes the path from ad to landing page the immediate campaign decision.

That decision has two parts: supplying creative suited to the placement and choosing where the ad group can serve. Google’s announcement describes a change to the viewer’s route to a website; it does not establish that a campaign will generate more sales.

Creative and placement choices

Google’s Demand Gen creative guide recommends 9:16 images for Shorts, with a minimum size of 600 × 1,067 pixels and recommended dimensions of 1,080 × 1,920 pixels. It lists image-only ads as eligible for both Shorts and Gmail. Those specifications help advertisers prepare the creative; Google did not present the specifications themselves as new in its September 24 announcement.

Advertisers also have existing channel controls at the ad-group level. They can manually select Shorts or Gmail instead of Google’s recommended automatic “All Google channels” setting. Selection does not guarantee delivery on a surface: eligibility also depends on the ad type and campaign settings.

Measure the trip to the site

Google’s Demand Gen reporting guide documents results by channel and a further Shorts ad-format breakdown. It distinguishes image-ad clicks to a website from the first click on a Gmail ad, which its definitions count as an engagement or interaction. An advertiser assessing traffic to its landing page should therefore look at website clicks rather than treat every reported interaction as a trip to the site.

The useful opportunity is specific: advertisers can prepare eligible image creative for the one-tap experience, make an intentional placement choice and evaluate the resulting website clicks on their own terms.