If you’re using Google AdWords, you should know about dynamic keyword insertion. It’s easy to set up, but do it wrong and your ads can be downright embarrassing.

Dynamic keyword insertion is a little-known function of the Google AdWords pay-per-click (PPC) service that automatically inserts a searcher’s keyword into your sponsored ad text. Many search marketers use dynamic keyword insertion to improve their displayed listings while simplifying campaign management.

It’s not easy to find any help documentation about this feature from Google. If you query the AdWords help section for “dynamic keyword insertion”  you won’t see any results, even though this is Google’s official name for the feature.  (We were able to find some information from Google on this feature –  a PDF dating from 2003 – by searching for the term “AdWords curly bracket”.) Regardless, Google’s customer support appears happy to discuss it with advertisers who have questions.  More…