We’re living in the era of consumer-driven digital discovery. Your customers want perfectly tailored digital experiences that meet their unique expectations, be it an ad or informative piece of content. To meet those customer expectations and make things easier for businesses, search engines introduced dynamic search ads which unlock automation and flexible ad campaigns.
As a marketer or entrepreneur, you have to align your offering with exactly what your audience is searching for. If you have a well-developed website and want to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns, be sure to master the art of dynamic search ads. Businesses have been using these ads quite for a while to reach the right people and customize text ads with great ease.
Why dynamic search ads? Because they can increase your conversion rates by 30%. However, it’s critical to develop campaigns the right way to witness impactful results.
In this post, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about dynamic search ads, from setting up campaigns to best practices. We’ll also give you a quick comparison of DSAs and traditional ads.
Let’s get started!
What are Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs)?
Simply put, Dynamic Search Ads allow you to automatically generate ad headlines and landing pages based on the content of your website or search history. Instead of you bidding on keywords and creating ad text and landing pages, Google automatically creates DSAs based on the content it finds on your website.
While you have the option to add negative keywords to your DSA, these ads don’t use keyword-based targeting.
Isn’t amazing to have Google match users’ queries to products or services on your site and then generate custom ads? Your campaign shows up in search results just like regular text ads but the content it uses is dynamic.
DSAs are also an incredible way to explore more keyword options for other digital advertising campaigns such as social ads.
Dynamic Search Ads vs Traditional Search Ads
Before we dig deep and find out how to skyrocket your DSAs ROI, let’s quickly compare dynamic ads with traditional search ads.
As we know, traditional ads require you to manually create your ads using your targeted keywords and then bid for those keywords. On the other hand, DSAs automatically generate ad text and landing pages based on your website content and what your audience is looking for.
While traditional ads can generate results for any business online, DSAs are best for a high volume of product or service pages. If you’re an advertiser and don’t have the time or resources to create and manage a large number of keyword-targeted ads, dynamic ads can be a game-changer for your business.
One amazing thing about DSAs is that you don’t have to create new ad campaigns and groups after introducing new products or services to your website – Traditional ads don’t offer such a luxury.
If we talk about ‘dynamic vs responsive search ads’, Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) work similarly to dynamic Search Ads as they tailor their message to the search query. However, instead of pulling content from the website like Dynamic Search Ads, RSAs use copy created by the advertiser directly within Google Ads.
Related: Google Transforms Dynamic Search Ads: Say Goodbye to Keywords!
How to set up Dynamic Search Ads
If you already know how to create dynamic ads, you can skip this part and scroll down to the crux of this blog, which is about best practices and valuable tips. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up a dynamic search campaign the right way:
Quick Note: The first step is to create a new campaign within your search engine’s ad platform. However, you can skip it if already has an existing campaign.
A step-by-step guide:
- Sign in to your Google ad account
- Select ‘Campaigns’ from the main menu
- Click the plus sign and select ‘New Campaign’
- Select your objective (leads, sales, etc.)
- Select “Search” as the campaign type.
- Identify the specific results you hope to achieve from the campaign.
- Click “Continue” to proceed to the next step.
- Give your campaign a name and specify the geographic locations, languages, and budget that you want to target.
- Under the “Bidding” section, choose an automated bid strategy that will optimize your bids. We recommend using the target CPA or enhanced CPC options.
- You can also enter a bid limit (optional) and budget.
- Click “Save and Continue” to move on to the next stage.
- Review your campaign settings and click “Publish Campaign” to launch your new Search campaign.
- Once you create, click “Settings” from the left-hand menu.
- Select the “Dynamic Search Ads” setting.
- Enter your website domain and select your website language.
- Click “Save” to complete the setup for dynamic search ads.
How to create a dynamic ad group
- Select the Dynamic option for the Ad group type (default).
- Give your dynamic ad group a name.
- Choose your desired targeting options for your ads. Read “About targets for Dynamic Search Ads” before proceeding.
- If you’re not using automated bidding, adjust your bid based on the value of each specific target to your business. Bid adjustments can give you more control over when and where you want to show your ad.
- Click Save and Continue.
5 Best practices for Dynamic Search Ads
DSAs are likely to be an ideal advertising platform for your business. However, it’s not all about your business. The question is whether or not your website is a good fit for DSAs.
What follows are some dynamic search ads best practices to help you develop a powerful website structure and content.
Develop supporting website content
Before you launch a DSA campaign, evaluate your website including its content and structure.
Let me put it this way: Dynamic Search Ads are like a personal ambassador for your website. They have the power to showcase the best of what your website has to offer or potentially harm your reputation.
So it’s important to make sure your website has the right content that gives a strong first impression to anyone who comes across your ads.
Think about it this way: your website’s content is like the clothes you wear to a job interview. You want to dress to impress, right? The same goes for your website’s content.
Here are a few tips to help you determine if your website’s content is strong enough to do its job with Dynamic Search Ads:
- Keywords: Make sure your website is loaded with relevant keywords that accurately describe your products or services.
- Ad copy: Your ad copy should be eye-catching and persuasive, making it clear what value you offer to your customers.
- Landing pages: Your landing pages should be optimized for conversions and provide a seamless experience for anyone who clicks on your ad.
Remember, having strong content on your website is crucial for Dynamic Search Ads to work their magic. So take the time to make sure your website is putting its best foot forward.
Explore your targeting options
Chances are your website contains a mix of pages that would and wouldn’t work for Dynamic Search Ads . Therefore, it’s crucial to figure out what pages you should be using for DSAs.
It’s worth exploring your targeting options in more detail. Google provides a variety of filtering options within the DSA campaign targeting interface that you can use to refine your targeting. These options allow you to target pages based on factors such as page content, page title, and more, using a “contains” function.
You can use a tool like Google Page Feed to provide Google with a list of URLs that you would like them to use for your Dynamic Search Ads. This gives you the flexibility to include only those pages that are a good fit for DSA and exclude any pages that may not perform well.
By using these targeting options and tools, you can easily fine-tune your DSA campaigns and generate better ROI.
Related: How to Use Google Ads Conversion Tracking to Scale Your Business
Balance visuals and text
The trend nowadays is to present information visually, using graphics, images, and videos. This is great for keeping users engaged and entertained, but it can create problems for Dynamic Search Ads.
DSAs rely on text to trigger ads and match them to relevant searches. If your website relies too much on visuals, there won’t be enough text for the tools to find. This can leave your Dynamic Search Ads struggling to reach the right audience.
Think of it this way: your website’s content is like the words you use to tell your story. If you only use gestures and no words, it’s going to be tough for people to understand what you’re trying to say.
So, if your website relies heavily on images and videos to tell your story, it might not be the best fit for Dynamic Search Ads. It’s important to find the right balance between visuals and text to make the most of this advertising tool.
Don’t forget to check out our post that explains how to create an effective display ad strategy.
Don’t forget to add negative keywords
To ensure that your ads reach the right audience, it’s essential to limit your ad’s visibility to keywords that aren’t associated with user intent. By including negative keywords in your ad groups, you can prevent your website from attracting visitors who aren’t likely to convert.
This step is crucial in avoiding unqualified clicks and ensuring that your budget is being spent efficiently. To get started, you’ll want to identify the phrases that are driving unwanted traffic to your website.
Once you have these terms, you can add them to your negative keyword list to effectively filter out irrelevant clicks and keep your ad campaigns targeted toward the right audience.
Related: What Is Dynamic Keyword Insertion: What It Is & How to Use It
Create powerful CTAs
your website needs to have a strong and effective call to action to encourage users to take action. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a form, your CTAs should be tailored to meet the needs of your audience.
Having CTAs throughout your website can help guide users toward the actions you want them to take. And when it comes to Dynamic Search Ads, you can even include your CTAs in the headline of your ad.
This can help entice users to click on your ad and take the desired action. Think of your CTAs as the voice of your website, urging users to take action. By having a clear and powerful CTA strategy, you can boost your chances of success with Dynamic Search Ads and beyond.
Related: 10 Best Practices For CTA Buttons
Ensure information accuracy
One of the dynamic search ads best practices is to ensure that the information on your website is accurate.
Search engines as well as your customers rely on the information you provide to make informed decisions. If you provide outdated or inaccurate, it can result in a misleading experience for them. This is a fundamental aspect of digital marketing and you shouldn’t overlook it.
While some businesses may be able to get away with outdated information by using landing pages for paid traffic, this isn’t an option for DSA. The DSA tool functions directly from your website, making it essential to keep the information up-to-date at all times. One of our blog posts explains how to get more accurate data with Google Ads Auto-Tagging.
If you run an e-commerce business, you need to make sure your product inventory, prices, discounts, shipping rates, and stock availability are current and accurate.
For instance, if a product is sold out on your website, it’s best practice to clearly communicate that information to your customers. By implementing these simple but effective strategies, you can build trust with your customers and improve the overall experience of your site.
Final thoughts
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) represent a major shift in the PPC marketing landscape and signal the end of traditional keyword-based advertising. As technology continues to evolve, it’s crucial for you to stay ahead of the curve and embrace new automated features that can help you improve performance.
As a marketer, you need to work smart, not hard, and ensure that you remain competitive in an ever-changing digital landscape. So, it’s high time to embrace change and explore the full potential of dynamic search ads to drive better-paid advertising results for your business.
