• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, March 22, 2016

Bing Ads is testing an automated feature that pulls landing page copy into the search ad description.

In addition to drawing in the ad copy from the advertiser, the test pulls data from the landing page -- grabbing metatags and relevant copy from the landing page -- matching the search query with relevant keywords

"It seems random from where on the page Bing pulls the content," said Bryant Garvin, founder of a search advertising consulting service. "It makes me a little weary because many times search consultants don't have control over title and meta-descriptions or the landing page content unless you're responsible for building out the pages."

He said it appears that Bing is using programmatic technology or similar algorithms the engine might use for search optimization because it pulls some of the most relevant information from the page to match the search query.

Garvin, who first spotted the test while doing an audit for a client, confirmed it was not an unreleased Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) Bing tool, which SEM Post first reported. He noticed the test after seeing changes to an ad created for one of his clients, KURUFootwear,com, which sells shoes.

“We’re constantly updating and refining the advertising experience, and before any changes are implemented they undergo intensive testing and experimentation to ensure the best possible results," a Microsoft spokesperson told Search Marketing Daily.

One of the biggest issues, Garvin said, is not knowing when the ad will appear. Some brands might want to opt-out of a test like this, he said, especially those that require every piece of ad copy to go through their legal team.

Although Garvin doesn't have data to prove the ad performs better, he said Bing's test probably increases the click-through rate because it adds copy and relevant keywords to the ad that matches the search query. It also expands the amount of space the advertisement takes up on the query results page.

"I would like to know when the ads shows up, what impact it has, because I have nothing to gauge it against without some reporting data," he said.