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If you don’t already know what Google Dynamic Search Ads are, it’s time you found out. In Google, dynamic search ads are automatically created to suit a user search query.
For example, imagine you have jeans collection store that have all types of jeans in different colors, size and for men and women, and a user types “best blue jeans.” In this case, if you have dynamic search ads enabled, Google will return a headline for your ad that reads “Best Blue Jeans,” and the ad will include a link to your landing page.
In this article, we’ll explore Google dynamic search ads, finding out how they work, what the benefits and drawbacks are, and how you can use them to succeed with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising in 2020. Don’t confuse this with responsive search ads.
First, PPC managers must specify a group of URLs from their website that Google can use to source content for your dynamic search ads. Google will crawl these pages, and take the content into consideration whenever users enter the search query.
Whenever a search occurs that matches the website content, Google automatically selects the best landing page for that specific search query, and it generates a headline for the ad using content from your web pages.
Tip: Google pulls all ad content from your website, so make sure to include all the major keywords and phrases throughout your web pages to make the most out of Google dynamic search ads.
Dynamic search ads — or DSAs — are a great fit for someone who has a vast array of products and landing pages. Instead of manually creating ads for every product, you can use DSAs to target users based on user intent.
However, for smaller businesses that have a static content range that doesn’t change much, you may find DSAs aren’t needed. You can probably manage your landing pages without Google’s assistance, but Google dynamic search ads are always an option to promote your blog content if you want to spread brand awareness.
So, let’s see why you should use Google dynamic search ads. Here are five benefits of DSAs in 2020:
If you set up dynamic search ads, and don’t generate the results you expected within the first week, it’s important not to panic. As with anything in PPC, it takes a little time for things to fall into place.
Ideally, you should give the strategy about one month, so that Google can crawl all your pages, and you have a chance to gather enough data to perform a full analysis. At that point, you can determine if there has been an acceptable increase in your clickthrough rate (CTR) and conversion rate.
While DSAs are run by Google’s artificial intelligence (AI), you should stay active to keep an eye on the headings ad and landing pages. Make sure they align, and that they are relevant to the search queries.
While there is plenty to love about DSAs, there are a few potential flaws in using this strategy too. Here are five downsides of Google dynamic search ads to keep in mind:
If you only use dynamic search ads, your overall Ads account performance will suffer because you are focused on a broad audience, rather than trying to pinpoint high-value keyword targets.
Remember that DSAs scrape content from your landing pages. As a result, there’s always a chance that Google’s AI will target keywords that aren’t relevant for your target audience.
A poorly-optimized website may struggle to gain traction with DSAs. This ad format relies on the health of your web pages, so they must be optimized and up-to-date in order for Google to be able to generate a good return on investment (ROI).
While Google dynamic search ads can deliver more traffic, it doesn’t come for free. As your traffic grows, so too does your costs — even if that traffic is irrelevant.
You can’t control the headlines of your ads, so some results may be underwhelming if you haven’t optimized your website content.
Google dynamic search ads are automated, but to deliver the best possible performance, some human assistance is essential. Here are some best practices and tips to help you get the most out of DSAs:
Focus on content that Google can easily crawl, giving preference to text more than images. Furthermore, use comparative words, like best, top, and most important.
Stay clear of buzzwords and jargon. Instead, go into detail about the products and services you provide.
You can grab more attention by mentioning free perks, like a free trial or free visit for customers. Doing this helps earn the trust of prospects.
Use expanded text ads to include a longer description for your ads. Although description will not be generated dynamically but it will add more grace to the dynamic search ads.
You can experiment by combining DSAs with different ad targeting strategies. For example, you can use DSAs with Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs) or you could exclude traffic. Try out different strategies and monitor the results. If it boosts ad visibility and generates more click traffic, you can roll out the tactic to a wider audience.
Another idea is to set bid adjustments, which gives you more control over your budget when using Google dynamic search ads.
One worry many PPC managers have when using DSAs is that the tactic will drive a lot of irrelevant traffic to their site, draining their budget with little ROI. You can minimize this risk by creating a negative keyword list that includes search queries you wish to exclude.
It’s fine to use manual bidding with dynamic search ads, but automated bidding goes hand-in-hand with this AI-led strategy. Automation is highly advanced now in paid advertising, so Google Ads can easily optimize your campaign performance. This works really well in large Ads accounts as Google can manage things much easier than your entire team can.
Now, let’s take a look at how you can get started with dynamic search ads in Google Ads.
Bigger websites may benefit from this as you can select specific URLs to use for DSAs. Keep in mind that any new products must be added to this feed. A benefit of this option is the ability to use custom labels and create targeted ad groups.
If you want to create a page feed, you need to devise the structure and specific labels you will use. This helps guide your targeting in future, and you can revise it over time to improve results.
Here is a basic example of a product feed for dynamic search ads:
Let’s go through the different elements:
Page URL is the specific webpage you wish to target with Google dynamic search ads. Enter one page URL per row. Avoid using URLs that have added tracking parameters.
Custom labels help you target ads within your page feed. You can adjust your bid per label. You can enter one or more labels per row separated with a semicolon (;).
It’s possible to add and combine different custom labels in your feeds, such as:
Once your page feed is ready, it’s time to add it to your Google Ads account so that you can get it in the system.
Dynamic ad targets are defined at the Ad Group level. They show which pages of your website or feed this Ad Group will target.
With your setup complete, now it’s on to the business of creating a dynamic search ad. For DSAs to work, you only have to create a description, as Google will automatically generate the other elements of the ad — headlines, images, etc.
Write a general description that is relevant to all products that your Ad Group is targeting. You only have 90 characters — use them well!
Include strong calls-to-action (CTA) in your descriptions to encourage a response from users.
Review the campaign summary to confirm everything is okay. Select Continue to Campaign to start running the ads.
In PPC advertising, you can spend a lot of time wondering if your efforts are going to waste, along with your budget. In 2020, Google’s AI is smarter than ever before, which makes Google dynamic search ads a powerful, intuitive advertising strategy that can generate great results for businesses of all sizes.
Remember that it’s not totally hands-off, so you need to do your part. With some experimentation and careful monitoring, you can make a success of DSAs best practices, which will save a lot of time and wasted resources in the long run.
You can learn more about dynamic ads in our blog, Master the Art of Dynamic Remarketing in Google Ads.
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