Dynamic Search Ads Get Optimized at AdWords

Machine learning and the trend toward automation are changing the face of digital advertising in a big way.

Google just announced three rather noteworthy improvements to Dynamic Search Ads, an AdWords program that enables advertisers to use their website to target ads and "fill in the gaps" of keyword-based campaigns.

The three improvements to DSA include the general availability of page feeds, support for expanded ads and some additional quality enhancements but let's take a closer look because these enhancements will be quite attractive to advertisers and likely silence critics of the program - which to date have been quite numerous.

The most notable new feature is that of page feeds, which will enable advertisers to provide Google with a feed of exactly what they want to promote (even selecting the landing page to include). The information will be used by Google to determine when to show ads and where to direct those searching for advertisers products or services. Google also indicated that advertisers will now be able to create custom labels in their page feeds in order to keep their advertisements organized. That will be particularly useful as advertisers will be able to activate and pause all ads with a label simultaneously.

The most vocal critics of DSA to date have been those who manage AdWords campaigns, but from a business perspective the reduction in time spent managing accounts is just too significant to ignore. Google provided the example of Hot Pepper Beauty, a salon booking service in Japan, which uses page feeds and experienced a reduction in time spent managing DSA campaigns by 90 percent.

Google also announced that it will be rolling out support for expanded text ads within DSA campaigns soon, providing advertisers an opportunity to leverage longer headlines and descriptions for the listings.