Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI): The Underused Feature for Amplifying Google Ads Performance

Imagine you're the proud owner of a thriving e-commerce shoe store. You're putting together a new Google Ads campaign, and you want your ads to reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message. That's where the magic of keyword insertion comes in.

In the simplest terms, keyword insertion is a feature that automatically tailors your ad text to match with what your potential customers are looking for. It replaces a part of your ad text with one of your ad group's keywords, making your ad more personalized and relevant.

Let's dig in deeper.

How Does Keyword Insertion Work?

Let's go back to your virtual shoe store. You're crafting an ad with the headline:

Headline: Buy {KeyWord:Shoes}

Google Ads will aim to swap this code with one of your ad group's keywords, such as "orange shoes", "orange shoes size 8", "orange sneakers size 9", etc. But when a keyword can't be used (for instance, if the ad copy exceeds character limits), it falls back to the word 'Shoes'.

📌 Remember: The search term a user types isn't always the same as your keyword. You can learn about the difference in this article - keywords vs. search terms.

Keyword insertion functions the same way across all match types. Nevertheless, it displays the keyword in the creative, not the search term, allowing the advertiser to predict what they'll eventually show. It should continue to adhere to advertising policies.

So continuing with the example above, when a person searches for "orange sneakers size 9", and the title you see in the Google Ads dashboard is:

Headline: Buy {KeyWord:Shoes}

Your ad might show:

Headline: Buy Orange Sneakers Size 9

Notice the capitalized letters. You can decide how they are displayed, depending on your strategy.

Title case: {KeyWord:} -> This will capitalize the 1st letter of all your keywords. For example, "Orange Shoes".

Sentence case: {Keyword:} -> The 1st letter of the keyword will be capitalized. For example, "Orange shoes".

Lower case: {keyword:} -> This will lowercase all your keyword letters. For example, "orange shoes" 

There are also these two:

{KEYWord:} -> "ORANGE Shoes"
{keyWORD:} -> "orange SHOES"

How to Use Keyword Insertion?

While inserting your ad copy in the Google Ads dashboard, type in "{", then choose 'Keyword insertion' from the options in the drop-down menu. Like this:

You can also do it manually in Google Ads Editor:

Considerations and Policies

Remember, playing by the rules when using keyword insertion is crucial. Here are a few do's and don'ts you need to bear in mind:

1. Stay within character limits: Keep your headlines snappy and under 30 characters, descriptions to 90 characters, and URL path within 15 characters.
   
   
2. Make sense with your content: Your keywords should blend seamlessly with your ad copy. After all, keywords that make no sense in your ad copy aren't just confusing - they're a waste of your marketing budget.
   
   
3. Grammar matters: Your keywords must gel with the rest of your sentence, so keep an eye on grammar.
   
   
4. No misspellings: Google's advertising policies don't take kindly to spelling mistakes in the ad text. The silver lining? Keyword insertion can help fix spelling errors or replace misspelled keywords with default ad text. For instance, keyword insertion should automatically correct "shooes" to "shoes".
   
   
5. Check your landing page: If you use dynamic text in your final URL, ensure your landing page can support it. If not, you might reconsider using keyword insertion in your landing page URL.
   
   
6. Watch your content: Keyword insertion doesn't mix with ads promoting Healthcare and Sexual Content.
   
   
7. Trademarks: Trademarks under Google's restrictions won't make it into your ad text.

Quick tip no.1: If you're using Google's auto-recommendations to add new keywords, ensure they fit your keyword insertion ad group well before you add them.

Quick tip no.2: While most commonly used in ad headlines, dynamic keyword insertion can be applied elsewhere in your Google Ads, like in the description where it's bolded for emphasis. Remember, more text means a greater risk of grammatical errors, so always proofread carefully.

Why Do We Even Bother Using It?

Keyword insertion is a powerful tool, whether using Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) or a more modern search structure.

Its ultimate goal?

To boost your Click-Through Rate (CTR) and make your ads more relevant to searchers. And as we know, these are critical factors in determining your quality scores.

But what does that mean for you?

More ad clicks, thanks to increased relevance. Lower average Cost Per Click (CPC) as your quality score rises. This leads to a snowball effect of benefits - your client ends up paying less per click, you're driving more traffic, and ultimately gaining more conversions.

One of the biggest headaches in Google Ads advertising is managing countless ad groups with similar keywords. You might have seen accounts using identical ad copy for a whopping 150 ad groups in a campaign, with the only difference being the keyword in the headline and the final URL.

With keyword insertion, you can say goodbye to such tedious efforts. You're turning a troublesome task into a golden opportunity by using keyword insertion and adjusting the final URL at the keyword level.

So give it a shot and thank me later.

And remember - always strive to improve your Google Ads game, even just a little bit, each and every day.