Don’t set up ad groups that target location names making it difficult to manage your ad groups. Consider using Google AdWords dynamic keyword insertion to do the work for you and keep all your location names in just one ad group.
The key to using Google AdWords dynamic keyword insertion is to carefully structure your account so that your keywords make sense with your ad text. For me if I am targeting 10 to 50 city locations say for a plumber and my keywords would be things like Waldorf plumber, Clinton plumber, Ft Washington plumber, etc. I would make sure that my ad group only contains variations as I have noted. Then in my ad text I would craft an ad that would look like this:
{KeyWord: Local Plumber}
Call for fast plumbing services for clogged
drains, sinks, toilets and bathtubs
Let’s dissect the ad text above a bit. Note that Keyword is spelled KeyWord in the curly brackets. This tells Google to make the keyword they are inserting with each letter of the beginning of each word as a capital. If I had entered keyword instead of KeyWord then the letters would all have been lower case. Note I also added default text after the : in the ad title. This text will be used if my keywords that would have been inserted makes the title go over the character count.
The great thing about dynamic keyword insertion is that Google takes the keyword phrase in your ad group and puts it in the spot where you have the curly brackets when the keyword matches a search query. This is very powerful for creating user centric ads which typically will lead to increased converions. Additionally as the keyword in the title now matches the user’s search query, Google will bold the text drawing the readers eye to your ad.
All ad groups can’t use dynamic keyword insertion, but in many cases with properly crafted ad groups you can really move your AdWords program to the next level in regards to performance.
If you don’t have savvy AdWords management now, I invite you to visit our AdWords services page. McCord Web Services is a Google AdWords Certified Partner.
Thanks John for the extra tips for our readers!
I would like to add some samples to the article:
{keyword:Default Ad Text} = pc sound card (no capitals)
{Keyword:Default Ad Text} = Pc sound card (capitalize first word)
{KeyWord:Default Ad Text} = Pc Sound Card (capitalize first letter of each word)
{KEYWORD:Default Ad Text} = PC SOUND CARD (all caps) – DISALLOWED BY GOOGLE
{KEYWord:Default Ad Text} = PC Sound Card (capitalize all of first word, and each first letter)
{KeyWORD:Default Ad Text} = Pc Sound CARD (capitalize all of last word, and each first letter)
INSERTING KEYWORDS INTO A PHRASE
Best {KeyWord:Default Ad Text} = Best Pc Sound Card (ads the word “Best” to the phrase)
{KeyWord:Default Ad Text} Sale = Pc Sound Card Sale (ads the word “Sale” to the phrase)
You must include the default ad text. So, if the default ad text was “PC Sound Card Sale,” this default phrase will show when your regular keyword phrase is longer than the 25 character length. Keep in mind, your default ad text must also be 25 characters or less!
Happy AdWording, John