# Setting up Dynamic Search Ads

### What is a Dynamic Search Ad

Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) use your website content to target your ads and can help fill in the gaps in your keyword-based campaigns. A DSA is an advertisement that consists of only two user-generated fields: description1 and description2. The DSA headlines and landing pages are automatically generated using content from your website. This makes sure that your ads always use the most relevant and up-to-date content for your products!

It’s not possible to add keywords yourself, because Google automatically matches users’ queries to the type of product on your site or feed and shows a dynamically generated ad, tailored based on all this information gathered by Google.

### How DSA targeting works

A vital part of DSAs is their dynamic ad targeting. DSAs are targeted to one or multiple landing pages that Google will use for its auto-generation. There are multiple targeting options on Google, but Channable currently supports one of these: URL Equals. This targeting option looks at specific URLs from your website and uses those pages to dynamically generate ads with the most relevant content.

### How to create a DSA in Channable

Creating DSAs has specific settings in each level of ad creation. The campaign, ad group, and ad level:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Campaign level

On the campaign level, two new settings must be added:

![image-20221018-122456.png](https://content.gitbook.com/content/F8GepmoSonQRG6RnHOxJ/blobs/FtIuio5sM8q9CBvXXtbn/8346228210834)

* **Domain name** — this is the root domain that all the dynamic ad targets have to use, such as [www.channable.com](http://www.channable.com/)

{% hint style="warning" %}
Do not include any country code (e.g. channable.com/en) in your domain name. Otherwise, you will receive the “DYNAMIC\_SEARCH\_ADS\_SETTING\_CONTAINS\_INVALID\_DOMAIN\_NAME” error in the preview.
{% endhint %}

* **Language** — the language of the pages from your website that you want Google Ads to find, create ads for, and match searches with.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Ad group level

If the campaign settings above are filled in, you can select the new ad group type in the next step:

![image-20221018-133831.png](https://content.gitbook.com/content/F8GepmoSonQRG6RnHOxJ/blobs/eOoU6nYeuOftVEwg0xZx/8346228544146)

In the **Ad group target URL** set the URL(s) which need to be used to generate the ads. This can be a static or dynamic field. If it is a dynamic field multiple dynamic ad targets of type URL Equals will be created.

![image-20221018-124332.png](https://content.gitbook.com/content/F8GepmoSonQRG6RnHOxJ/blobs/876D1mhAeFbwiy88nL4w/8346245573138)

{% hint style="warning" %}
Please note that the Ad Group Target URL should start with https\://. You’ll receive the “WEBPAGE\_CONDITION\_URL\_UNSUPPORTED\_PROTOCOL” error in the preview if it doesn't.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Ad level

Finally, you can create one or multiple DSA Templates by filling in the right description fields:

[![image-20221018-124549.png](https://content.gitbook.com/content/F8GepmoSonQRG6RnHOxJ/blobs/jkenCKXvJ3jMFyWuxitQ/8346228462354)](https://helpcenter.channable.com/hc/article_attachments/8346228462354)

Similar to responsive text ads, you can create multiple backup templates which support the main template in case that doesn't fulfill Google's requirements.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### How auto-generation of the ad works

While Google’s process of auto-generation is a black box, there are some things to keep in mind:

* Google will not scrape your website’s content in real time, so a rapidly changing website will not show up-to-date headlines.
* Google can make minor modifications such as changing capitalization or removing unsupported characters.
* Google is unable to guarantee which headlines are shown.
* Google offers Editorial Policy Rules for page titles and headlines, and recommends the use of these when using DSAs: <https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6021546>

### Differences compared to Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)

There are three major differences:

* DSAs have fewer user-generated fields, and Google will auto-generate all others.
* DSA ad groups cannot have keywords (but can have negative keywords), since Google will auto-generate keywords.
* DSAs need dynamic ad targets to work. Without one or multiple dynamic ad targets Google is not able to auto-generate headlines, landing pages, and keywords.

### Benefits compared to Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)

* Saving time — because these ads are generated by Google itself, you don't need to spend time specifically crafting ads with content and keywords.
* Showing the most relevant information — since DSAs are based on your website's direct content, the content of the ad will be the most relevant possible.
* Capture additional traffic — since DSAs don't work with manually set keywords, you can gain additional traffic or access new opportunities that you aren't targeting yet with keywords in your RSA campaigns.