How Dynamic Text Replacement Can Increase Your Conversion Rate
- Dynamic text replacement changes part of a page's text for each visitor, based on URL variables, visitor data or on-page data, while the rest of the page stays the same.
- The most common use is PPC message match: the landing page repeats the keyword or offer from the ad, so the visitor sees the same message from the search result to the page.
- Google Ads keyword insertion changes the ad; dynamic text replacement changes the landing page. Expanded text ads can no longer be created or edited since June 2022, so keyword insertion now runs in responsive search ads.
- Every dynamic text needs a default text for visitors with no data, and values taken from the URL must be checked before they are shown on the page.
- Dynamic text is a hypothesis, not a guaranteed win: test the personalized version against the generic version before you roll it out.
Dynamic text replacement (DTR) increases conversion rate by changing the words on a page to fit each visitor. It takes a value from the URL, from data about the visitor or from the page itself, and puts it into the copy. A visitor who clicked an ad for winter coats sees a headline about winter coats. A visitor from New York sees a free-delivery offer for New York. The interaction becomes closer to a visit to a brick-and-mortar shop, where a good sales assistant sees who walks in and speaks to them directly.
Personalized messages make the page more relevant, and relevant pages keep more visitors. This article explains what DTR is, which variables you can use, how it supports PPC campaigns, and how to add and test dynamic text as part of your conversion optimization plan.
Web personalization is not a new technique. In a previous article on our blog about real-time marketing, we showed that on-site personalization, and content that responds to what customers do, are among the most effective approaches. Dynamic text replacement is one of the simplest ways to start.
What is dynamic text replacement?
A dynamic text has two parts: the variable, which is the value to insert, and the default text, which shows when the variable is empty. For example, a headline could read "Free shipping to [city] today", and fall back to "Free shipping today" when the city is unknown.
DTR is a form of web personalization. It is lighter than building a separate page for every audience: one page serves many segments, and each segment sees the version of the message that fits it.
What are the three types of variables?
| Variable type | Where the value comes from | Example | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL variables | The page address, such as a GET parameter or a UTM tag | From example.com/?param=Coats, the page shows the word "Coats" | PPC and email campaigns, where you control the link |
| Visitor (custom) variables | Data about the visitor collected by your personalization tool | Country, city, device type, referrer, days since first visit | Offers by location, device-specific messages, returning visitors |
| On-page variables | Elements of the page included in the experiment | Product title, product category, cart total | Reminders, product-specific popups and surveys |
URL variables let you use information from the page's URL as text. If a link reads "http://www.example.com/?param=Coats", the page can insert "Coats" into a headline or a button.
Visitor variables take the visitor's data and let you show a personalized message to a particular traffic segment. In Omniconvert Explore, this data includes real-time signals such as pages viewed, product filters used, previous conversions, campaigns, device type and geolocation, and custom attributes such as purchase history or lifetime value.
On-page variables use parts of your page, such as a product title or category, as text in an A/B testing experiment, a web personalization experiment or a survey. Their purpose is to guide customers along a journey based on their behavior and data history. For a more complete experience, you can also add information from your own database about users.
Which visitor variables can you use, and how?
| Variable | What it holds | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Referrer domain | The domain of the referring website, for example facebook.com. Empty for direct visits. | Campaign messages. A visitor from Facebook can be invited to follow your page or to share for a discount. |
| Country | The visitor's country, detected from the IP address | Currency, shipping and language messages |
| Region | The visitor's region | A promo code for a specific region |
| City | The visitor's city | Local delivery offers: "Only today: Free Shipping in NY!" |
| Device type | Desktop, mobile or tablet | Invite mobile visitors to download your app |
| Operating system | Detected from the browser user agent, such as Windows, macOS, iOS or Linux | Link to the right app store or show the right download |
| Browser | The browser name, such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox | Browser-specific instructions or extensions |
| Views per session | The number of pages viewed in the current session | Offer a voucher to visitors who browse a lot but do not order |
| Days since first visit | Days since the visitor's first recorded visit, counted from when tracking was installed | Different messages for new and long-time visitors |
| Visitors online on the page | How many people view the same page at the same time | Social proof and urgency, when the number is real |
Location data from IP addresses is an estimate. It is usually reliable at country level and less reliable at city level, so write city-based messages that still make sense if the city is wrong or missing.
Urgency works because time pressure makes an offer feel exclusive. Whether the conversion is a free ebook download, a purchase or a click on a button, visitors act sooner when they know that an offer is limited. Show only true numbers: invented scarcity damages trust, and in many markets it breaks consumer protection rules. For more on this lever, read how scarcity can empower your business.
In Explore, you can target experiences by 40+ segmentation criteria, including geolocation (city, country, temperature), technology (device type, operating system, browser, resolution), behavior (time on site, days since first or last visit, viewed products and categories) and traffic source.
How does dynamic text replacement help PPC campaigns?
Google Ads has its own feature for the ad side, called keyword insertion. You write a code such as {KeyWord:Default text} in the ad, and Google Ads replaces it with the keyword that matched. If the keyword is too long to fit, the default text shows. Google stopped the creation and editing of expanded text ads in June 2022, so keyword insertion now runs in responsive search ads.
Keyword insertion changes only the ad. To carry the same words onto the landing page, pass the keyword to the page and use it as a URL variable:
-
Add the keyword to the URLUse the ValueTrack parameter {keyword} in your tracking template, or add a fixed parameter to each ad group's URL, such as ?product=winter-coats.
-
Read the parameter on the landing pageSet up a dynamic text that inserts the value into the headline, the subheadline or the call to action.
-
Set a default textIn campaigns that match without keywords, such as Performance Max, Dynamic Search Ads or AI Max for Search, {keyword} returns a blank value. The default text keeps the page readable.
-
Control what can be shownAnyone can edit a URL. Show only values from an allowed list, or clean the value before it appears, so the page never displays odd or harmful text.
The referrer domain works in a similar way for paid social and partner campaigns: visitors from each source can see a message that continues the ad they clicked.
Dynamic text replacement examples
Scarcity with online visitors. One of our clients, autonom.ro, used the online-visitors-on-page variable to create scarcity: the page told visitors how many other people were looking at the same offer.
Region and temperature. Covera, another Omniconvert client, combined two variables, region and temperature, to create a real-time experience: the message changed with the weather where the visitor was.
City for a travel website. If you own a tourism website, create a message based on the visitor's city to make them want to go on vacation, for example by naming the flights or holidays that leave from their city.
Surveys for returning visitors. Dynamic text also works in on-site surveys. Insert the product name into a question for returning customers who view the same product page again, for example "What is stopping you from ordering [product] today?", to find out their purchase intention.
The more you know about customers, the better, because you can speak directly to their pain points or interests. Segment traffic carefully, by the criteria that suit your business best.
What are the benefits of dynamic text replacement?
- Engagement. Send the visitor an engaging message that creates an emotional connection.
- Memory. Remind visitors about a product they may have liked in a previous visit.
- Relevance. Make visitors feel important, as opposed to receiving a generic message.
- Exclusivity. Make visitors feel unique when they get an offer based on their on-site behavior.
- Urgency. Show how many visitors are online right now, when the number is real.
- Message match. Keep landing pages consistent with ads, emails and campaigns.
- Efficiency. Serve many segments from one page instead of maintaining a page for each.
These benefits are the reason to test dynamic text, not a promise of a result. The effect depends on your audience, your offer and how well the variable fits the message. For how personalization and experimentation work together, read has personalization replaced A/B testing?
How to add dynamic text to your website with Omniconvert
-
Choose the segment and the variableDecide who should see the message and which data makes it relevant: the ad keyword, the city, the device, the product viewed or the visitor's history.
-
Create the experienceChange an element on the page, or create an overlay triggered on load, on scroll or on exit. Design the rest of the creative as usual.
-
Insert the variable and a default textPlace the variable where the personalized words should appear, and write a default text for visitors with no data.
-
Preview every versionCheck the message with long and short values, with no value, and on desktop, tablet and mobile.
-
Run it as an experimentShow the dynamic version to part of the segment and the generic version to the rest. Measure the conversion rate or revenue per visitor, and keep the version that wins.
What mistakes should you avoid with dynamic text replacement?
- Over-personalizing. A message that shows too much knowledge about the visitor can feel intrusive. Use data to be helpful, not to show what you know.
- No default text. An empty variable produces broken sentences such as "Free shipping to !".
- Unchecked URL values. Anyone can change a URL parameter. Allow only expected values.
- Mismatched offers. If the dynamic headline promises a product or a price, the page must deliver it.
- Fake urgency. Visitor counts and stock levels must be true.
- Ignoring devices. Long values can break headlines on small screens. Test the user experience on desktop, tablet and mobile.
- Not testing. Personalization can also reduce conversions. Compare it with the generic version before you roll it out.
For more on how personalization is changing, read our articles on web personalization trends and cookieless personalization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dynamic text replacement (DTR) is a personalization technique that changes the text on a web page for each visitor, based on data such as a URL parameter, the visitor's location, device or traffic source, or information already on the page. The visitor sees a message that fits them, such as the product they searched for or a delivery offer for their city, instead of one generic message.
In advertising, DTR usually means changing landing page text to match the ad or the keyword that brought the visitor. The ad passes a value, such as the keyword, in the URL, and the landing page inserts it into the headline. This keeps the message consistent from the search result to the page, which is called message match.
No. Keyword insertion changes the text of the ad itself: Google Ads replaces a code such as {KeyWord:Default text} with the matching keyword in a responsive search ad. Dynamic text replacement changes the text of your landing page. The two work well together, because the ad and the page can then show the same words.
Yes. Google stopped the creation and editing of expanded text ads in June 2022, so responsive search ads are the standard search ad format. Keyword insertion works in responsive search ads, and the ValueTrack parameter {keyword} in a tracking template can pass the matched keyword to the landing page. In campaigns that match without keywords, such as Performance Max or Dynamic Search Ads, {keyword} returns a blank value, so the page needs a default text.
There are three main groups. URL variables take a value from the page address, such as a query parameter or a UTM tag. Visitor variables use data about the visitor, such as referrer, country, city, device, operating system, browser or days since the first visit. On-page variables use data already on the page, such as a product name, a category or the cart total.
Well-known examples include product recommendations based on browsing behavior, such as those on Amazon, and popups that change their text based on who the visitor is and what they did in the session. Other examples are landing page headlines that repeat the search keyword, free-delivery messages that name the visitor's city, and banners that change based on the device or the traffic source.
Common mistakes are personalizing so much that the message feels intrusive, forgetting a default text for visitors with no data, showing raw or unsafe values taken from the URL, making claims that are not true, such as fake urgency, and launching without testing. Check every version on desktop, tablet and mobile, and compare the dynamic version with the generic page in an A/B test.
Run an A/B test. Show the dynamic text to one part of the target segment and the generic text to the other part, and measure the conversion rate or revenue per visitor for both groups. A before-and-after comparison cannot separate the effect of the text from changes in traffic, season or promotions.
Dynamic text replacement brings some of the attention of a good brick-and-mortar shop to a website: the visitor is greeted with the thing they came for, in words that fit where they are and how they arrived. Start with the change that has the clearest intent behind it, usually matching the landing page headline to the ad keyword, add a default text for every variable, and test the dynamic version against the generic one. Then extend it to location, device and behavior, one segment at a time, keeping only the versions that prove they convert better.
Personalize the page, then prove it works
Omniconvert Explore combines web personalization, 40+ segmentation criteria, on-site surveys and A/B testing, so every dynamic message can be targeted and tested. More than 70,000 experiments across 7,000+ websites and 15+ industries, with a 23.2% average conversion uplift.