Difference of DSA

Hello Rikako,

Thank you for using our Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform! 

I gathered that you are inquiring about parameter settings for Dynamic Search Ads (DSA). Please note that we currently only provide English support on our Learn platform, but we will be more than happy to put you in touch with our Japanese speaking support advocates. I hope the response and resources provided here will also be of some help to you. You are also welcome to respond to my private message by elaborating on your query. Rest assured, we will do our best to provide you with the best answers we possibly can.

Based on Microsoft Advertising’s documentation, the platform does have specific — and sometimes strict — rules for how {lpurl} and {escapedlpurl} behave in tracking templates, especially when landing page URLs contain parameters. These rules are similar in nature to what you may have seen on other platforms, but with some Microsoft-specific nuances:

Key Points from Microsoft Advertising:

Parameter Behavior

• {lpurl} inserts the Final URL and will be escaped unless it is placed at the very beginning of the tracking template.
  • {escapedlpurl} always returns the Final URL in an escaped form, regardless of position.
    • Variants like {lpurl+2}, {escapedlpurl+2}, etc., apply multiple levels of escaping for multi-redirect scenarios.
      • {unescapedlpurl} returns the Final URL without escaping.
      Placement Rules

      - If `{lpurl}` is **not** at the beginning of the tracking template, you must use `%3F` instead of `?` to append parameters, and encode `&` as `%26`.
      
         - `{escapedlpurl}` can be placed anywhere, but you must append `%3F` (escaped `?`) before parameters.
      

Automatic Adjustments

• Microsoft Advertising will automatically switch ? and & after the landing page parameter to ensure valid URL format.
  • Parallel tracking is mandatory, and parameters are parsed and appended to the landing page URL according to encoding rules.
  Best Practice
  • Microsoft recommends putting {lpurl} at the start of the tracking template to avoid unnecessary escaping.
    • Landing page parameters should ideally be placed in the Final URL or Final URL Suffix to avoid encoding issues.

Comparison to Other Platforms:

• Like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising differentiates between escaped and unescaped URL insertion parameters and enforces encoding rules when parameters are appended.
• The “position in template affects escaping” behavior for {lpurl} is also seen in other platforms, so the potential for misconfiguration (and resulting broken URLs) is similar.
• Microsoft’s automatic ?/& switching and strict encoding requirements mean that if you use {lpurl} where {escapedlpurl} is expected (or vice versa), you can encounter the same kinds of parameter-passing issues that occur on other ad platforms.

In conclusion, Microsoft Advertising can experience similar issues to other platforms when {lpurl} is used instead of {escapedlpurl} for landing page URLs with parameters. It follows broadly similar specifications for URL encoding and parameter handling, but with its own documented rules for placement, escaping, and automatic adjustments. Misuse or misplacement of these parameters can lead to broken or incorrectly encoded URLs, just as on other platforms.

Based on Microsoft Advertising’s documentation, the platform does have specific, and sometimes strict rules for how {lpurl} and {escapedlpurl} behave in tracking templates, especially when landing page URLs contain parameters. These rules are similar in nature to what you may have seen on other platforms, but with some Microsoft-specific nuances. For further information, please see the following help articles:

Why isn’t my tracking template working?

What tracking or URL parameters can I use?

Parallel tracking gets customers to your landing page more quickly

Can I use custom parameters?

Our support teams are happy to discuss your account in more detail via phone, chat or email to provide review assistance, please see our support page (エキスパートに問い合わせる).

I hope the information provided here will at least partly answer your question.  If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to reach out to our support. As mentioned, I have also sent you a private message asking for further details. You are more than welcome to respond to me if you have any further queries.

Kind regards, 

Vahid| Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 800-518-5689