How to Improve CTR for Middle and Tail Words by Using Ad Customizer

Irep Inc.


If you have high conversion rates for middle and tail words, but low click-through rates are preventing you from increasing your conversions, utilize the Ad Customizer to improve the click-through rate.

1. Types of search ad formats

There are four major search ads formats.

  • Expanded text ads, in which the submitted content is displayed as is.
  • Dynamic search ads with headlines that change to match the content of the landing page
  • Ad customizers that can dynamically insert text anywhere within a text ad
  • Responsive search ads*1 that include multiple headlines and descriptions and display a highly relevant combination of ad content and search terms.

The focus of this article will be on using ad customizers.

*1: This feature is only available on Google Ads and is not available on Yahoo! Ads (as of January 13, 2021)

2. What are ad customizers?

We’ll start off by introducing what you can do with the Ad Customizer and when to utilize them.

2-1. Ad customizer specifications

There are four major ways to create ad text with the Ad Customizer.

  • Customization according to registered keywords
  • Customization according to the device used
  • Customization according to the user’s location
  • Customization according to end date/time, day of the week, etc. with a timer display

In this article, we ‘ll introduce functions that change the ad text according to the most common registered keywords. In addition to the information required when submitting expanded text, an ad customizer data file is required to control which keywords are used in which ad text.
Below is an example of using an ad customizer data file to customize the text of an ad to match the registered keywords.

↑Ad customizer data file: “Tokyo campus”
↑Ad content at the time of submission (example)
↑Actual listing

If a user searches for “Junior high tutoring class near Ebisu Station,” the text of this ad will change as follows according to the keyword “Ebisu Station tutoring class.” The way it works is that the contents of {Region. Text1} will refer to the target keywords +Ebisu, +Station, +Tutor, and +Class in the “Region” section of the ad customizer data file and insert “If you’re looking for a tutor class near Ebisu Station, choose ○○” entered on the same line in text1 and “Ebisu campus” entered in text2.

2-2. When to use ad customizers

The ad customizer is suited for the following industries.

  • E-commerce industries due to the large volume of merchandise (apparel, electronics retailers, daily necessities, rentals)
  • Industries with campuses/stores nationwide (tutoring schools, schools, automobile dealers, real estate, nursing)
  • All industries that conduct limited time sales

3. Case studies of using ad customizers to improve CTR

Now we’ll show you some results we achieved through the use of ad customizers.

3-1. The difference between expanded text ads and ad customizers

This case shows the results of a client company in an industry that operates stores nationwide.
In terms of customization, this is an example of how we customized the headline of both industries so that when a user searches for “△ services in ○○ City,” the headline will appear as “△ services in ○○ City” and “△ services in ○○ City.” Both of these industries have stores or school buildings located throughout Japan.

figure1-example-of-ctr-improvement-using-the-ad-customizer
(Figure 1: Example of CTR improvement using the ad customizer)

The result is a significant increase in click-through rates by pinpointing and changing the headline for regions, which are specific search terms of interest.

3-2. Points to keep in mind when improving results

Although all of the examples above show improved click-through rates, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to improve results with the ad customizer.

Set default values for when text cannot be inserted from the ad customizer data file.

When making a submission, add a colon preceding alternate text behind the column in the data file so that alternate text will appear if text insertion fails, as shown in the example below. Errors frequently occur when the content of the listing is varied according to keywords, so be sure to set a default value.

When adding keywords, add data onto the ad customizer data file as well.
If you’re using an ad customizer, you must keep your customizer data file up to date. No matter how many keywords with good results are added, if the target keywords don’t exist in the data file, no improvement in results can be expected. When you add keywords, make it a habit to update the data file as well.

3-3. Narrow down the keywords you want to customize and use partial or phrase matches

When inserting text according to keywords, the likelihood of a click will decrease if there is not a high relevance between the keywords (search query) that users actually search for and the ads that are placed. A match type called “partial match” will respond to a wide range of search queries, making it difficult to increase the click-through rate, which is the original purpose of the ad. Therefore, the recommended match types for keywords in the data file are “narrowed partial match,” “phrase match,” and “exact match.”

4. Summary

We discussed ad customizers in this article. At Irep Inc, we have a track record of successful cases that not only involve search ads, but also display ads and social ads. In addition, we provide consistent support from creative production to ad management.

Want to know more about Ad Customizers?
Contact us to discuss how we can work together.

Irep Inc. is an award-winning global digital marketing agency based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our headquarters are in Tokyo and our network spans more than 20 countries. In Japan, we are ranked No. 1 for performance-based marketing. We also offer highly specialized market entry, as well as integrated marketing and localization services. Since 1997, our data-driven solutions have effectively led our diverse international clientele to continuous success in Japan, Asia, and beyond.


Irep Inc.
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Email: info@irep.inc
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