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Target searches automatically with dynamic search ads

Learn how Microsoft Advertising can generate keywords and ads for you automatically.
Important

Dynamic Search Ads are available in the United States and the United Kingdom only.

Dynamic search ads provide a streamlined, low-touch way to make sure customers searching on the Microsoft Search Network to find your products or services.

Benefits of using dynamic search ads

Dynamic search ads automatically target relevant search queries based on the content of your website, and are dynamically created to respond to these search queries. Using them will:

  • Create targeted and relevant ads automatically: New, dynamically-created ads for every search query based on your website content, or specific pages or categories of your website.
  • Reduce your workload: No need to maintain keyword lists, manage bids, or update and customize ad titles.
  • Find missed opportunities: Automatically adapt to new queries to drive additional conversions.

Dynamic search ads are most appropriate for two types of advertisers:

  • Advertisers who have a large catalog of webpages and a constantly changing mix of products, making it difficult to manage search ads for each product.
  • Advertisers who are not familiar with search advertising, but who want to quickly and easily try it out.
How to add a dynamic search ads campaignexpando image
  1. In the data view, click Add campaign button.
  2. In the Editor pane, for Campaign type, select Dynamic Search.
  3. Click on the Dynamic search ads tab.
  4. Enter your Website and Website Language.
How to add dynamic search targetsexpando image

You can use Dynamic search targets to target your ads. Here’s how to set dynamic search targets:

  1. Under Keywords and targeting from the left panel, select Dynamic ad targets.
  2. Click Add dynamic ad target in the data view.
  3. Select the Ad group to add target.
  4. In the Edit the selected dynamic ad targets tab, enter the Values. Values are the criteria based on which ads are targeted, with four types of values you can enter:
    • Categories: Targets based on categories you can enter. Microsoft Advertising will analyze your website and then categorize its content.
    • Page content contains: Target based on content of the page. Page content is the visible text on a webpage. In your website’s code, it’s the text between these tags: 

      <body></body>
    • Page title contains: Target based on page title. Page title is the text that appears at the top of a webpage. In your website’s code, it’s the text in this area: 

      <head>
        <title>This is the page title</title>
      </head>
    • URL contains: Target based on what is on the URL.

    Note: If nothing is entered for all three values, all webpages will be targeted.

  5. Select the Status and enter the Bid amount.
  6. Click the URL options tab to enter the Tracking template and Customer parameters details.
How to add negative dynamic ad targetsexpando image

You can use negative dynamic ad targets to prevent your ads from being displayed based on criteria you want. Here’s how to set negative dynamic ad targets:

  1. Under Keywords and targeting from the left panel, select Negative dynamic ad targets.
  2. Click Add negative dynamic ad target in the data view.
  3. Select Campaign negative dynamic ad target or Ad group negative dynamic ad target.
  4. In the Edit the selected negative dynamic ad targets pane, enter the Values. There are four types of values you can enter:
    • Categories: Targets based on categories you can enter. Microsoft Advertising will analyze your website and then categorize its content.
    • Page content contains: Target based on content of the page. Page content is the visible text on a webpage. In your website’s code, it’s the text between these tags: 

      <body></body>
    • Page title contains: Target based on page title. Page title is the text that appears at the top of a webpage. In your website’s code, it’s the text in this area: 

      <head>
        <title>This is the page title</title>
      </head>
    • URL contains: Target based on what is on the URL.

    Note: The negative dynamic ad target needs to have at least one condition set.

How to add dynamic search adsexpando image
  1. Select the campaign from the tree view in the left panel you want to set up dynamic search ads in.
  2. Select Dynamic search ads under Ads and extensions from the type list in the left panel.
  3. Click Add dynamic search ad in the data view.
  4. In the Edit the selected Dynamic Search Ads pane, enter the Ad text, Path, and set the Status.
  5. Click the URL options tab to enter the Tracking template and Custom parameters details.

Notes:

  • You do not write your ad title. Microsoft Advertising will dynamically generate this for you based on the appropriate keyword and your website content.
  • You have the option to have one or two paths appear after your website's domain. The path is distinct from the final URL. The final URL is the actual webpage URL that customers are taken to after they click your ad. The path can be a shorter or "friendlier" version of your URL showing one or two subdirectories. If you sell men’s clothes, and you’re advertising shirts that are on sale for spring, your final URL might be http://www.contoso.com/content/en/clothesaccessories/spr2017/shirts, but your path could simply be contoso.com/SpringSale/Shirts.

Common questions about dynamic search ads

What are some tips for effective dynamic search ads campaigns? expando image
  • If you already have dynamic search ads campaigns set up in Google Ads, we recommend that you set up your initial Microsoft Advertising dynamic search ads campaigns similarly.
  • Set up default bid close to your non-exact match bids for similar keyword categories.
  • Since Microsoft Advertising does not support mixed mode campaigns yet, you cannot have keyword and dynamic search ads targeting in one campaign.
  • Create different ad groups for different dynamic ad targets.
  • Create a Target all webpages ad group in addition to narrower targets to capture as many relevant searches as possible.
  • Exclude parts of your site that don’t drive conversions.
  • Look for negative keywords on the search terms report and add them as negative keywords in your dynamic search ads campaign.
  • Add paused keywords and current negative keywords in your other campaigns as negative keywords in your dynamic search ads campaign.
  • Try using the Enhanced CPC bid strategy rather than Manual CPC.
  • Use ad extensions to make your ads more eye-catching.
  • Use remarketing to target people who have visited your website before.
  • Add exclusions to prevent your ads from appearing in specific locations, on specific web sites within the Microsoft Search Network, or prevent your ads from displaying to certain IP addresses.
  • Dynamic search ads could lead to higher traffic, so keep an eye on your budget and don't let it run out.
How do you determine what content is on my website? And what if you're not finding certain parts of my website? expando image

Your website's content is analyzed by Bing's web-crawling technology. We crawl any webpage that is in Bing's index. If you suspect that some parts of your website are not being found by our web crawler, take a look at this Bing Webmaster article for information on why this might be the case and what you can do to fix it.

Will dynamic search ads work with existing ad annotations? expando image

Yes, dynamic search ads will work with all existing ad annotations, just like standard text ads.

Are there any potential issues with importing dynamic search ads from Google AdWords? expando image
  • Expanded dynamic search ads currently cannot be imported from AdWords.
  • Microsoft Advertising does not currently support dynamic search ads’ page feeds or custom label dynamic ad targets.
  • Mixed mode campaign imports are currently not supported in the import tool.
  • Mobile device preference is currently not supported.
Will remarketing lists work with dynamic search ads? expando image

Yes, remarketing lists can be associated to ad groups within a dynamic search ads campaigns.

Can I add tracking templates and custom parameters to my dynamic search ads campaign? expando image

Yes, tracking templates and custom parameters are supported at the campaign, ad group, ad, and auto target levels.

Can I use auto-tagging with my dynamic search ads campaign? expando image

Yes, auto-tagging is supported for dynamic search ads campaigns.

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