Improving CTR
It’s not enough that you generate a lot of visitors to your website. If those visits do not convert into clicks, then your AdSense campaign is doomed. It’s not automatic that every visitor to your website will click on your ads. No. That will be a critical error to assume as such.
The simple solution would seem to be: lead visitors into clicking the ads displayed on your pages.
But no. This is not allowed by Google’s TOS. You will be prohibited from asking your visitors to click on the ads. The consequences are dire indeed. Your earnings will be held. Worse, your account will be terminated.
So, how do you improve your click through rate?
Remedy Against Ad Blindness
Your number one enemy will be ad blindness, or ad numbness as many people call it. It seems that visitors have become accustomed to seeing ads displayed on web pages, so much so that they have become immune to them. Yes, a great majority of these web users do not pay attention to the ads they see.
Overcoming ad blindness should be one of your primary goals. And how can this be done?
The number one tactic is to make the ads blend with the web page. The ads should not appear as distinct areas of your website. Instead, they should appear as if they are part and parcel of the overall design.
You are given the option to choose the color of the box, the ad texts, and the links. Do your best to make each element blend well with the rest of the web page. This will improve your CTR dramatically.
Choose The Right Ad Format
Banners? Skyscrapers? Text links? The choices are many, but not all of them will provide the CTR you need for success. The fact of the matter is, your CTR is greatly dependent on your choice of ad format.
There is no definitive answer as to what ad format works best. It really depends on how your web pages are laid out. However, here are some tips which would help you select the right ad format for your own enterprise:
* If your menu bar is placed in an unconventional area, such as the bottom of the page or the right side thereof, you can try to use text links on the upper portion of the page, or text links on the left panel. This way, the text links will appear like directors to the other areas of your website.
* Many claim that using banners (468 x 60) and half banners (234 x 60) are more adjustable when it comes to pages that don’t use dividers.
* Medium and large rectangles, on the other hand, are the favorites of many content website owners. Their positioning is vital. They must be placed under the title of the article, right before the body thereof, and always at the upper fold of the page so that they will immediately be seen.
Images Or Texts?
One interesting question is whether or not you should use ads with images or ads with pure text. The answer is quite straightforward: avoid images.
Images have long been associated with advertising, and people by nature stay away from being subjected to sales pitches. If the ads display images, they’d immediately know it’s an ad and chances are, they won’t click on it.
You wouldn’t want this to happen.
So stick with text ads because with them, your visitors will be compelled to read what they are about, and this can result in more clicks and a higher CTR.