Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong

Dynamic in Google Ads seems like a good solution. No need to collect keys and write headlines – there is a saving. But if everything was so simple, then who would run the usual search ads?

Dynamic ads are not always applicable, and there are enough nuances with their setting. We’ll understand how to properly configure these ads, in which cases they are applicable, and how to avoid display problems.

The content of the article

What are dynamic ads and how do they differ from regular search ads
In which cases dynamic ads are applicable, and in which – not
Pros and Cons of Dynamic Ads
How to set up dynamic ads in Google Ads
Preparation
Campaign Settings
Creating an ad group, choosing a goal
Create Ads
Dynamic ad problems and solutions
Invalid domain or site language in campaign settings
Destination URLs not indexed
Destination URLs Unavailable
No new URLs added to feed when using it as a single data source
Content Issues on Landing Pages
If dynamic ads don’t suit you

In an article about automating composing ads for context, we mentioned dynamic ads as one way to make things easier. In an article about problems with ad impressions, they explained why the “dynamics” may not be shown. It’s time to put everything together and make full-fledged material on dynamic ads in Google Ads.

What are dynamic ads and how do they differ from regular search ads

Dynamic ads are placed on a Google search. They differ from standard search engines in three ways:

headers and display URLs of dynamic ads are automatically generated based on the content of the landing page – for standard ads, they must be manually entered;
for dynamic ads, you do not need to select keywords – the system, based on the content of the landing pages, determines itself by what requests to show them;
dynamic ad group display can be configured immediately on all pages of the site or selected pages – for regular ads, one URL per group is indicated.

Important! Do not confuse dynamic ads with keyword insertion.

Dynamic insertion is used in standard ads – so that the headings always include a relevant search query.
Dynamic ads are a separate type of ads for which they create their own “dynamic” campaign.

For comparison, here is the dynamic insert:

And here is a dynamic ad:

If you look at the results of the issuance, it is not easy to identify dynamic announcements with the naked eye. Their only difference from the standard ones is one integral header, which is pulled from the tag landing page. While standard ads have two or three separate headings (up to 30 characters each with spaces) between which there is a dash:</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/ro/ez/0t/roez0tvk1egeodoz-zgruid51yq.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Despite the differences, dynamic and standard ads have a number of similarities in common:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>in dynamic ads, you also need to manually add two descriptions;</li> <li>dynamic ad groups can add negative keywords;</li> <li>for dynamic campaigns, the same targeting is available as for standard ones (audiences, schedule, etc., except for keywords), as well as extensions (refinements, quick links, etc.).</li> </ul> <p><a name="id2"></a></p> <h3>In which cases dynamic ads are applicable, and in which – not</h3> <p></p> <p>For which sites <strong>fit </strong>dynamic ads:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li><strong>Online stores with a wide range of products</strong>. In this case, you don’t have to select keywords for each product, compose headings and unique descriptions (just write a few descriptions with key messages and you can use them for almost all ad groups).</li> <li><strong>Content projects</strong>. The plus is that the title is pulled from the title, and the advertising snippet will not differ much from the organic snippet.</li> <li><strong>Other sites with many similar pages</strong>. These can be online catalogs, message boards, aggregators, etc.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>But still, there are limitations to working with “dynamics”.</p> <p></p> <p>Dynamic ads <strong>unsuitable</strong>:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>For sites whose content is frequently updated. Ad systems do not have time to reindex content, and ads become irrelevant.</li> <li>For sites with little text or poorly optimized pages. This can be landing pages, portfolios, sites with images or other sites that are not filled with text content. In this case, the advertising system has nowhere to get the keys from.</li> <li>For sites with few pages. In this case, it’s difficult to assess the benefits of dynamic ads – it’s better to compose standard ads and maximize them for the content of the pages. Ways to automate the writing of ads described here.</li> </ul> <p><a name="id3"></a></p> <h3>Pros and Cons of Dynamic Ads</h3> <p></p> <p>To summarize, we can distinguish the following advantages of dynamic ads:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>the compilation of headers and display URLs is automated;</li> <li>You can create one ad group for any pages – the system itself will select the headers and URLs;</li> <li>no need to collect keys;</li> <li>the ad will have a long and holistic headline – as in the results of organic issuance.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>Minuses:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>low coverage of the target audience – if the page does not have enough content or it is highly specialized;</li> <li>Reduced ad relevancy when using the same descriptions for all or a group of pages.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>Thus, dynamic ads cannot be called a universal tool for automating contextual advertising – while standard search ads along with the use of <a href="https://promopult.ru/technology/ppc?utm_medium=paid_article&utm_source=habr&utm_campaign=blog&utm_term=ba4dd6020d46e47b&utm_content=dynamicheskye_obyavleniya_na_poiske_Google">automated platform</a> suitable for any task.</p> <p><a name="id4"></a></p> <h2>How to set up dynamic ads in Google Ads</h2> <p><a name="id5"></a></p> <h3>Preparation</h3> <p></p> <p>Before you start creating a dynamic campaign, decide where you will pull up your destination URLs from. Three sources:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>indexed site pages;</li> <li>feed with url.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>If you select indexed site pages as the source, you can start creating a campaign.</p> <p></p> <p>The only thing is to make sure that the pages you need are actually indexed. This can be done in the Google Search Console or using <a href="https://promopult.ru/tools/indexing_analysis.html?utm_medium=paid_article&utm_source=habr&utm_campaign=blog&utm_term=ba4dd6020d46e47b&utm_content=dynamicheskye_obyavleniya_na_poiske_Google_indexing_analysis">instrument</a> from PromoPult.</p> <p></p> <p>A more reliable source is a feed with a URL. In this case, the loss of pages from the index will not lead to problems with the display of advertising. To download the feed, go to Tools & Settings / Commercial Data.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/cj/db/mk/cjdbmkrxjfwxvn8nbrgbn0wk9vw.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Click + and select “Page feed.”</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/6k/tr/9k/6ktr9kp16fbb8gfugfcq3hiclse.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Download <a href="http://www.gstatic.com/adextensions/page-feed-template.csv">template</a> feed in CSV format and paste here the URLs where you plan to lead visitors. You can parse a list of URLs, for example, using Screaming Frog (here <a href="https://blog.promopult.ru/sales/parsing-lyubogo-sajta.html">guide</a>) or using other parsers.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/hs/1f/ki/hs1fki4pghdhgiuhk27uvmxxvra.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Please note that URLs can be marked with labels. For example, by product category (SHOES), rating (FIVE_STARS), targeting region (NEVADA, USA), etc. Based on the labels, you can then choose which pages to target ad groups to.</p> <p></p> <p>Each URL can be assigned multiple tags. The first label is comma separated after the URL. Subsequent – in the following columns opposite the URL. Label names are chosen arbitrarily – but try to name them so that you yourself understand later what they mean.</p> <p></p> <p>After loading the feed, it will appear in the general list:</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/7s/sx/zr/7ssxzroya2_ohcc80vq--tocptq.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Now you can start creating the campaign.</p> <p><a name="id6"></a></p> <h3>Campaign Settings</h3> <p></p> <p>The beginning of setting up a dynamic campaign is the same as the standard search: select a target, specify the URL of the advertised site, set the targeting, budget, choose a strategy and so on.</p> <p></p> <p>The difference is that for a dynamic campaign, you need to specify the URL of the advertised domain, the language of the ads and the targeting source. This is done in the step “Select campaign settings.” In the “General settings” section, open “Other settings” / “Set up dynamic search ads.”</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/qg/tj/sx/qgtjsxlx1zn-jc4y-fbsvdlmzv8.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>By default, ads are targeted to pages indexed by Google. If you want to pull up the URL from the feed, select the option “Use only URLs from the page feed” or the combined option – “Use URLs from the site index on Google and from the page feed.”</p> <p><a name="id7"></a></p> <h3>Creating an ad group, choosing a goal</h3> <p></p> <p>Once you’ve completed your campaign settings, move on to setting up your ad groups. Make sure the ad group type is set to Dynamic rather than Standard. You won’t be able to mix ad group types in one campaign.</p> <p></p> <p>In the settings of the ad group, you need to select a target. There are 4 options for goals:</p> <p></p> <p>1. <strong>Categories</strong>. The system analyzes the content of the pages and combines them into thematic categories. For example, “smartphones”, “redmi smartphones”, etc. Choose the category you want to advertise – create an ad group for it.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/bk/hn/qk/bkhnqkgyxsombaomms6y3hj20ki.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>If you already have a standard search advertising campaign running, landing pages from standard ad groups will be available in the categories section. This way you can target pages that are already used as landing pages. This allows you to attract more traffic to them.</p> <p></p> <p>2. <strong>Separate web pages.</strong> Specify the exact URLs you want to target and add them to your goal list. This method gives the maximum level of control.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/bo/mm/5o/bomm5orokygvuj8evgjovpptbdq.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>There is an option to create page targeting rules. For example, you can specify the text that should be in the URL. All pages whose URL contains the specified text will be selected as the target.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/zv/fe/qs/zvfeqskpd-wz9b0ym70ruzzmhn8.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>3. <strong>All web pages.</strong> This option allows you to cover all pages of a site in one ad group at once. That is, even in the case of a huge online market, you can do with one ad group and one dynamic ad. The effectiveness of this approach is in question, but it is possible.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/yh/rq/o2/yhrqo283nomk5tcozuyxdbqurm4.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>4. <strong>Tags from the feed.</strong> For this method to work, URLs in the feed must be labeled with tags (tags) before uploading. Tags have arbitrary names. With this method, targeting is carried out on all pages marked with the specified tags.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/jx/4v/f0/jx4vf0pdy-o5hfaw_mw1fymcz28.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>After adding the goal, 24 hours should pass – until the system analyzes the content on the pages. After a day, the target is available for targeting. That is why sites with daily updated content are not friends with dynamic ads.</p> <p><a name="id8"></a></p> <h3>Create Ads</h3> <p></p> <p>After choosing a goal, create ads – at least one per group, but preferably 2-3.</p> <p></p> <p>Ads need to specify only descriptions – up to 90 characters each. If an ad group targets different URLs, the descriptions should be relevant to all pages at once. For example, if you target all URLs from the “Smartphones” category, you can specify delivery conditions, discount information, popular brands, etc. in the descriptions.</p> <p></p> <p>Headings, landing and display URLs are selected automatically.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/aw/i-/xy/awi-xyjg58sfwsnh8yotw0q585a.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>After creating a dynamic ad, it, like the standard one, is sent for moderation.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/rn/16/ps/rn16pswq1nycdesyc6187klnrzg.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <blockquote> <p>We wrote in detail about the rules of moderation and how to circumvent it <a href="https://blog.promopult.ru/ppc/kak-projti-moderaciyu-obyavlenij-kontekstnoj-reklamy.html">here</a>.</p> </blockquote> <p></p> <p>After launch, everything is as usual: analyze the queries for which there were transitions, add negative keywords to cut off non-targeted impressions, monitor the speed of budget spending, etc.</p> <p><a name="id9"></a></p> <h2>Dynamic ad problems and solutions</h2> <p></p> <p>Despite the simplicity of setting up dynamic ads, there are problems with working with them.</p> <p><a name="id10"></a></p> <h3>Invalid domain or site language in campaign settings</h3> <p></p> <p>When setting up dynamic ads, you need to specify the domain of the advertised site and language at the campaign level. To verify that the settings are correct, open the campaign settings – the section “Setting Dynamic Search Ads”.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/ps/wf/h4/pswfh4odkfvyryvdhgjgc3i5fiw.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>Here are the errors that will result in the absence of ad impressions:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>the language does not match the language of the site (for example, you advertise an English-language resource, but the language is left Russian);</li> <li>a redirect to another domain is configured on the specified domain;</li> <li>You have specified a subdomain, but want to advertise the pages of the main domain;</li> <li>the domain leads to a site of “delicate” subjects – pharmaceuticals, gambling, adult;</li> <li>the domain does not support the prefix.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>If you don’t have any impressions, check these settings first. If the problem persists, move on.</p> <p><a name="id11"></a></p> <h3>Destination URLs not indexed</h3> <p></p> <p>It’s convenient to select indexed pages as a source of dynamic ad targets. If only because you don’t have to bother with downloading the feed. But you need to understand that if some pages fall out of the index or do not have time to index, ads will not be displayed on them.</p> <p></p> <p>To avoid problems when targeting indexed pages, make sure that:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>there is no ban on page indexing in robots.txt, in particular for GoogleBot and AdsBot robots;</li> <li>The pages you need are indexed by Google.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p>If there are problems with indexing or for some reason indexing a site is not possible, use targeting with the feed.</p> <p></p> <blockquote> <p>For possible problems with site indexing and their solution, read <a href="https://blog.promopult.ru/seo/kak-uskorit-indeksaciyu-sajta-5-sovetov.html">here</a>.</p> </blockquote> <p><a name="id12"></a></p> <h3>Destination URLs Unavailable</h3> <p></p> <p>Make sure that when loading all the landing pages the server will give the code 200. If the server gives, for example, the code 404 (page not found), ads for this page will not be shown.</p> <p></p> <p>You can check server response codes, for example, in <a href="https://webmaster.yandex.ru/tools/server-response/">Yandex.Webmaster</a>.</p> <p><a name="id13"></a></p> <h3>No new URLs added to feed when using it as a single data source</h3> <p></p> <p>You selected a feed as a source of goals, added it to the system, set up a campaign, and created ads. After a while, we decided to expand our targeting, for example, to pages that contain the word “smartfon” in the URL. We created an ad group, set up a delivery rule, but no impressions.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/wd/be/zb/wdbezbdcaovr3eulqkauv2se5am.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>The problem is that there are no pages with the given word in the feed where the URLs are pulled from. Solution Options:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>Add new URLs to the feed and update it</li> <li>enable the combined targeting option in the campaign settings – to pages from the feed and indexed pages.</li> </ul> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/g2/8r/lv/g28rlvdsi0plsmjxfo9wfqpk-yw.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> <br /><a name="id14"></a></p> <h3>Content Issues on Landing Pages</h3> <p></p> <p>Google Ads independently determines the keys by which ads will be displayed. Obviously, if there is not enough text on the page, the system has nowhere to get the keys from.</p> <p></p> <p>But even if there is a lot of text, the system does not always collect a sufficient number of keys.</p> <p></p> <p>For example, we often encounter this situation when we run dynamic advertising for articles in <a href="https://blog.promopult.ru/">PromoPult Blog</a>. For some articles, the system determines the relevant queries well, and for others, more specific, it comes to a standstill. In the latter case, the status “Few matching queries” is displayed opposite the goal.</p> <p></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><img decoding="async" src="https://habrastorage.org/webt/_d/1l/jx/_d1ljxrqdgnimezlzs9tfkdicbo.png" alt="Dynamic ads on Google: how to set them up and what could go wrong"> </p> <p>There are several solutions:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>fill the page with content – connect <a href="https://promopult.ru/txt?utm_medium=paid_article&utm_source=habr&utm_campaign=blog&utm_term=ba4dd6020d46e47b&utm_content=dynamicheskye_obyavleniya_na_poiske_Google_txt">regular site content</a> it is possible in the PromoPult system;</li> <li>optimize existing content – this will be useful not only for the context, but also for SEO;</li> <li>For pages with no impressions, start a standard search campaign.</li> </ul> <p><a name="id15"></a></p> <h2>If dynamic ads don’t suit you</h2> <p></p> <p>In this case, consider automating standard campaigns. For example, in <a href="https://promopult.ru/technology/ppc?utm_medium=paid_article&utm_source=habr&utm_campaign=blog&utm_term=ba4dd6020d46e47b&utm_content=dynamicheskye_obyavleniya_na_poiske_Google_ppc">contextual advertising module</a> PromoPult, you can run search and display campaigns in Yandex and Google from a single interface.</p> <p></p> <p>What is automated in PromoPult:</p> <p></p> <ul> <li>selection of keywords (based on the semantics of the site, competitors’ sites, from statistics counters, Yandex.Wordstat, tips, etc.);</li> <li>grouping keywords by clustering them;</li> <li>compilation of announcements;</li> <li>cross-minus one and keyword selection;</li> <li>bid and impression management.</li> </ul> <p></p> <blockquote> <p>Here <a href="https://blog.promopult.ru/ppc/kontekstnaya-reklama-regionalnogo-internet-magazina-instrukciya.html">detailed guide</a> to launch advertising in PromoPult using the example of a regional online smartphone store.</p> </blockquote> <div class='code-block code-block-3' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'> <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-format="autorelaxed" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5162050706337438" data-ad-slot="1578248008"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div>  </div> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer> </div> </article> <nav class="navigation post-navigation" aria-label="Posts"> <h2 class="screen-reader-text">Post navigation</h2> <div class="nav-links"><div class="nav-previous"><a href="https://prog.world/how-can-artificial-intelligence-improve-cyber-physical-systems/" rel="prev"><div class="post-navigation-sub"><small><span class="kadence-svg-iconset svg-baseline"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-arrow-left-alt-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29" height="28" viewBox="0 0 29 28"><title>Previous Previous

How can artificial intelligence improve cyber physical systems?

Workbox