A click-through rate (CTR), simply put, is a ratio of how many people see your ad versus how many people click it. The formula is the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of times your ads are shown:
Clicks / Impressions = CTR
Say you had 20 clicks but 100 impressions—your CTR would be 20%. The higher the number, the better the indication of your ad’s relevancy and helpfulness. CTR is a useful tool for gauging which ads and keywords are successful for you, and where you might have a bit of room for improvement.
Measure CTR as a helpful metric in any of your online marketing campaigns via website, email, or advertisement. According to WordStream, the average CTR across all industries in Google AdWords is 1.91% in the search network and 0.35% in the display network; if you’re not sure how you compare, use their helpful tool to see whether your CTR is better or worse than your competitors.
If you’re struggling to drive traffic to your page and elicit an intended action—whether that’s to buy a book, read a news article or watch a music video—read the following tips on how to improve your CTR and give your business the boost it needs.
Improve Your Content
The first step to boosting your CTR is increasing the number of visitors your page receives. Make your site useful, relevant, attractive, and regularly updated. Capture your audience’s attention with flashy graphics and great images, but be sure the website is formatted in an easy-to-read style in order to maintain user engagement.
Add More Text
An attractive site with graphics and colors can draw a lot of attention, but be sure to fill your pages with text, as well. Text blocks are your opportunity to fill your site with keywords targeted at your audience base, and they should be woven thoughtfully throughout your content.
Write Attractive Headlines
Attractive headlines can have a major impact on how your ad performs, and there are all sorts of little tweaks you can make to a headline to improve CTR. From commands to character counts, concrete data has outlined the consumer response to various headline structures—do your research and find what works best within your industry.
Offer Giveaways
Headlines which feature special promotions—as opposed to the first line or two within the meta-description—make searchers more likely to click your link. Oftentimes the headline is the only portion of your ad that’s read, and the word “free” lights up the human brain. If you’re trying to promote your own product(s), consider offering freebies and discounts that consumers love. Include time-sensitive text such as “Get it free today” or “50% off for a limited time” within your headlines and watch users click away.
Focus Keywords
Keywords can be your golden ticket to CTR success, but you may need to approach it from a different angle. For example, a bakery might think “cupcakes” is an appropriate term for search keywords; while this makes sense, and may lead to many impressions, it will unlikely garner many clicks. Instead, the business should consider using a more specific term, such as “custom organic cupcakes”; while they might sacrifice impressions and clicks, the overall CTR will improve—and the clicks will be more qualified to what the business actually sells.
For an easy win against competitors, try to include your keyword within your ad’s URL on the search network. It’ll focus your ad and make it more specific, increasing the likelihood of searchers clicking it.
Increase Your Presence
If you’re CTR doesn’t spike after implementing these strategies, it might be time to question where your ad is being seen. Depending on your targeted audience, Google AdSense might not be the right platform for scalable growth. Consider Facebook marketing services to boost your social media presence and attract a different viewership who’d be more likely to click on your ads and improve your CTR.
Whether you’re a marketer, blogger or business owner, knowing how to analyze and improve your user data is critical to the effectiveness of your advertising campaign. Take a temperature check of your current efforts, and if there’s room for improvement, begin implementing these tips to improve your CTR.
