Fix Search Ads 360 template errors
The template generated text included characters that aren't allowed for the impacted field. Typically, errors are generated because special characters are used, which can include (but aren't limited to) the following: !, @, #, $, %, -, (, ), ^, *, =, {, }, ;, ~, `, <, >, ?, \, |, and /.
The specific characters considered invalid may vary depending on the relevant serving account's settings and requirements.
Potential errors
| Template type | Error |
|---|---|
| Keyword | Keyword text contains invalid characters |
| RSA | Input value contains invalid characters |
| Ad group | Input value contains invalid characters |
| Campaign | Input value contains invalid characters |
Potential causes
The following are potential causes for this error:
- Feed data contains characters that aren't allowed for the impacted field.
- The formula on the template contains static text with characters that aren't allowed for the impacted field.
Example scenario
Feed name: Feed B
Feed data:
| ID | Field A |
| 1 | Alpha/Beta |
| 2 | Charlie |
| 3 | Delta |
Scenario: The following formula is used to populate Field A, which doesn’t support the “/” character: f:"Field A" & " / "
Expected output:
“Alpha/Beta / “
“Charlie /”
“Delta /”
Actual output:
No values are generated because all instances of the expected output would contain the “/” character, which isn't supported. One of the Field A values, “Alpha/Beta” contains the “/” character, and the formula adds the “/” character as static text.
Example resolutions
The following are general guidelines to resolve these errors:
- Update feed data to ensure that it doesn’t use special characters.
- Use alternates.
- In the Templates functionality, use functions such as
clean_keyword()orregex_extract()to remove special characters. The following example function removes special characters from the feed’s product ID column data:[TRIM(CLEAN_KEYWORD(PRODUCT_ID, " "))]. For example, if the product ID in the feed is “Bolt (10x),” the function returns “Bolt 10x”.