Set up sitelink templates

Before you begin

Common multiplier needed to match sitelinks with campaigns

If you use templates to apply sitelinks, your sitelink templates and campaign/ad-group templates need at least one multiplier in common. This enables the new Search Ads 360 to match generated sitelinks with the appropriate generated campaigns:

• Without at least one multiplier in common with the selected campaign templates and ad group templates, then all generated sitelinks will be attached to each campaign and ad group from the selected templates.
• When the sitelink template and the campaign/ad-group templates have common multipliers and the values for those common multipliers are the same (case insensitive), then sitelinks are generated for those specific campaigns/ad-groups.

For example:

1. The campaign template uses a multiplier that is constructed from either the feed or custom columns that are referenced in the campaign-name formula or from feed columns that you specifically select, for example:
   • Campaign name: f:"brand" & f:"origin_country" & f:"destination"
   The sitelink template uses a multiplier that is constructed from the feed columns you select when you define the settings for "Multiplier", for example:
   • Multiplier: Selected column: Brand
   In this case, the Brand column is the common multiplier.
2. When the new Search Ads 360 evaluates the templates and substitutes flight feed values into the formulas for Campaign name and sitelinks Final URL, the output generated is as follows:
   • A campaign for Albatross Flights USA France
   • A sitelink for www.example.com/albatrossflights/book
   • A campaign for Golden Eagle Flights France UK
   • A sitelink for www.example.com/goldeneagleflights/book

• Account-level sitelinks don't need a common multiplier. If you generate account-level sitelinks and you generate campaigns that inherit account-level sitelinks, then all of the campaigns will inherit all of the account-level sitelinks.
• If your sitelink templates do not specify account-level sitelinks and your campaign templates apply a specific sitelink template, choose one of these conditional options:
  • If your sitelink template and campaign template have specified multipliers:
    • When they don't have at least one common multiplier, the generated campaigns doesn't apply sitelinks.
  • If your sitelink template and campaign template do not have specified multipliers:
    • A sitelink template generates one sitelink when feed data is available. This sitelink is used by all campaigns that apply the sitelink template.
    • A campaign template that doesn't specify a multiplier uses all sitelinks generated by the sitelink templates that have been applied.

Create a sitelink template

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to the relevant sub-manager account.
3. Click Tools and settings.
4. Click Templates.
5. On the “Templates” page, click
6. Click + Sitelink template.
7. Follow the instructions in the sections below, starting with Sitelink template pre-stage.
   Click Continue to complete each stage and proceed to the next one.

For information about configuring dynamic template elements, see; About custom columns in templates and Configure custom columns in templates. These dynamic elements are highlighted in gray in the table.

For dynamic settings, examples based on a flights theme are provided. See below to view the brief flights feed table to which they refer.

Example

In this example, the "Flights" feed table contains the following columns of product data supplied by a new Search Ads 360 customer, Example Airways. 

Example Airways operates two brands. Albatross Flights sells transatlantic tickets between the US and European destinations, while Golden Eagle Flights markets route tickets within Europe. 

The example feed table only contains information for one route for each brand to ease understanding.

Feed column name	Column description	Column value example 1	Column value example 2
"product_id"	Flight origin airport international air transport association (IATA) code –destination airport IATA code	CDG-LHR	SEA-CDG
"brand"	The brand name for the flight	Golden Eagle Flights	Albatross Flights
"availability"	Flight ticket availability	Available	Not available
"seats_left"	Number of unsold seats on the flight	11	0
"origin_iata"	Flight origin airport’s IATA code	CDG	SEA
"origin_name"	Flight departure location	Paris	Seattle
"origin_country"	Flight origin country’s name	France	USA
"destination _iata"	Flight destination airport´s IATA code	LHR	CDG
"destination_name"	Flight destination´s name	London	Paris
"destination_country"	Flight destination country’s name	UK	France
"price_usd"	The flight price in US dollars	400	900

For sitelink templates, you can select parent types from Accounts, Campaign templates, and Ad group templates. Moreover, you can have any combination of these three parent types.

Click the headings below to learn about each stage in the template creation flow, including stage settings with dynamic content examples.

The formulas in the examples in the table below have been presented as you'd enter them in the formula editor. If you enter formulas manually supported by the Columns and Functions menus, you must enclose them in quotation marks " " (for example, f:"Brand").

 

Sitelink template pre-stage

Stage	Panel	Applies to	Settings and description
"Pre-stage"	"Apply to"		Click on Account, Campaign templates, Ad group templates, or any combination of these that you require as parent(s). The feed is inherited from the parent template(s) as displayed. If you select only Account, you are required to select a feed. Click Add filter to add filters to modify the feed for your sitelinks.

Stage 1 Sitelink template settings

Stage	Panel	Applies to	Settings and descriptiom
Stage 1 "Template settings"	"Template name" Required Must be unique at sub-manager level		Name your sitelink template
	"Account", "Campaign templates", "Ad group templates"		For each parent type previously selected, a panel is shown. Click the pencil icon in these panels to select specific parents. Campaign templates and ad group templates selected must be attached to the same feed.
	"Add associations"		For parent types not selected in pre-stage, an Add Associations tile is shown. Use this to select any additional parent(s) for these parent type(s).
	"Data source"		Inherited from the selected parents. Only editable if "Account" is selected. A data source is mandatory. Add filters if required.
	"Multiplier"		Multipliers define the columns from which the unique value combinations are derived. The unique value combinations determine the sitelink instances that are generated from sitelink templates. You must select feed columns to create one sitelink for each unique value combination. Click Select Multipliers. Select the required multiplier columns from the feed columns. Click Done. The multiplier columns that you specify in sitelink templates are used to match with campaign and ad-group template multipliers to determine whether sitelinks will be applied uniquely to specific campaigns and ad groups or generally to all campaigns and ad groups.

Stage 2 Sitelink settings

Stage	Panel	Applies to	Settings and description
Stage 2 "Sitelink settings"	"Final URL"		For all advertising platforms and client accounts: Set the Final URL by entering a static value or dynamic custom column. It must begin with http:// or https:// (recommended). For specific advertising platform/client accounts: Click Add account-specific final URL to create different final URLs by account type or specific client account to better customize your sitelinks.  For example: This can be static: https://www.example.com/winterflights/book It can also be dynamic by applying custom columns: "https://www.example.com" & "/" & f:"brand" & "/" & "book" Brand becomes the sitelink multiplier. For our flights example with two possible value combinations, the sitelink URLs generated would be: https://www.example.com/albatrossflights/book https:/www.example.com/goldeneagleflights/book
	"Sitelink text"		Enter the additional text that appears in an ad that links to a specific page on your website. This is a dynamic element defined using a custom column. For all advertising platforms and client accounts: Add static or dynamic sitelink text. For specific advertising platforms and client accounts: Click Add account-specific link text to create different sitelink text by account type or specific client account to better customize your sitelink text. For example: It could be static. Book now! It could also be dynamic by applying custom columns. "Book " & f:"origin_iata" & " to " & f:"destination_iata" Example output: Book CDG to LHR Book SEA to CDG
	"Description 1"		For all advertising platforms and client accounts: Add a static or dynamic first description. For specific advertising platforms and client accounts: Click Add account-specific description to create a different description by account type or specific client account to better customize your description. For example: Descriptions can be static. Book discounted winter flights now! They can also be dynamic: "Winter flights from " & f:"origin_name" & " to " & f:"destination_name" & " for " & f:"price_usd" & "!" Example output: Winter flights from Seattle to Paris for $900! Winter flights from Paris to London for $400!
	"Description 2"		For all advertising platforms and client accounts: Add a static or dynamic second description. For specific advertising platforms and client accounts: ClickAdd account-specific description to create a different description by account type or specific client account to better customize your description.
	"Sitelink URL options"		Sitelink URL options define the tracking template for the URL of the page on which user activity and information is tracked. For all advertising platforms and client accounts: Add a static or dynamic Sitelink URL that can include a tracking template. It must start with http:// or https:// (recommended): Enter the URL you want the ad click to go to. Alternatively, configure a custom column as the tracking URL you want the ad click to go to for tracking. For example: This can be static. www.example.com/winterflights It can also be dynamic by applying custom columns. "https://www.example.com" & "/" & f:"brand" Example output: https://www.example.com/albatrossflights https://www.example.com/goldeneagleflights Add a static or dynamic final URL suffix. device={device}&keywordid={_mykwid} The final URL with the suffix could be: "https://www.example.com/" & f:"brand"&device={device}&keywordid={_mykwid} Define custom parameters that can be included in the final URL suffix for tracking user information. Each custom parameter requires a name and value. For specific advertising platforms and client accounts: Click Add account-specific URL to create different sitelink URL options by account type or specific client account to better customize your ad group URL structure. See Configure trackineg URLs and custom paramters.
	"Advanced options"		For all advertising platform/client accounts: Start date As soon as sitelinks are created — The sitelinks start as soon as they are generated by the templates and sent to the advertising platform.  days from creation — The sitelinks will start  a specific number of days after they are generated by the templates and sent to the advertising platform. End date No end date — The sitelinks never end. days after start — The sitelinks stop a specific number of days after they start. Days and hours Select the day and hour when you want the sitelinks to start and end. To select further days and hours, click Add schedule. For specific advertising platform/client accounts: Click Add account-specific sitelink advanced options to configure start and end settings based on selected advertising platforms or client accounts.

Stage 3 Confirmation

Stage	Panel	Applies to	Settings and description
Stage 3 "Confirmation"	"Sitelinks preview"		The first 100 sitelinks are generated for preview. Return to previous settings stages to make any changes you require. Click Create template at this stage to create the template.

 

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