5 Ways to Improve Your Clickthrough Rates
Posted by Mike | Filed under Ad ServingYou might be very disappointed with your advertisement earnings because you did not get a single click from one thousand (1,000) people who visited your website. Don’t think of quitting ad serving; it is very profitable if you know how to serve your ads wisely.
Let’s talk about CTR (Clickthrough rates). CTR is the percentage of surfers who clicked ads compared to the number of visitors to your site.
CTR = Number of Clicks/Number of Visitors
To increase your CTR, more people must click on your ads. So how do we increase the clicks? I’ll give 5 ways to improve your CTR, and after you read this post, you’ll be able to earn more money from ad serving (hopefully… 
). The tips might be common for some, but this article aims to help newbies as well.
Note: Some of the methods to improve your CTR might be against the terms of service of your ad network, so check first before doing the tips!
Okay, here we go:
Blend your ads. Some people do not know how blending can be very effective. The best way to get your ads noticed by your visitors is by making them look like they’re a part of the site, so don’t let your ads stand out, let them blend. If your ads’ appearance is similar to your site’s look (the color of links, font face, etc.), the visitors would most likely click your ads.
Placement is the key. How will people click your ads if they can’t be seen? Hah, don’t expect money if you’re too shy to show your ads! Placement is a VERY important factor in making money through ad serving. Put your ads where people can easily see them. Place it in your site’s header, the top portion of your sidebar, or anywhere you want but make sure that they are visible.
Use images alongside your ads. AdSense users, sorry, you cannot do this. To the others, let’s get it on. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you put relevant images together with your ads, people will have different interpretations of the picture, they will be curious why the picture was beside the ad, and they would most likely click the ad. Images can also help communicate the message of the advertiser to the people, so the ad can be better understood with ‘visual aids’.
Place videos beside ads. Well, videos can also increase your CTR! Place related videos beside your ads and for sure, people will think that the ads are “more about the video” or something like that. In effect, the advertisements will get more clicks!
Use the right words. Sometimes, webmasters use “Advertisements” or “Sponsored Links” as the title for their ad units, but these actually decrease the number of clicks. Why? Because people know that the site owners make money through the advertisements! Use better words such as “Great Sites” or “Worth the Visit” to get more ad clicks (Notice that the ads on the right sidebar of TW3O are under the title “Recommended Sites”).
And that is all, guys! So… now that you know how to improve your clickthrough rates, expect more $$$ to come in. Good luck to all of you!
“Adsense users, sorry, you cannot do this.”
Wow, was this rule recently added? Thanks for the advice.
R.J.:
That rule was added months ago.
It says there that you may not place misleading images alongside individual ads.
You may the rules on the AdSense Policy Page.
I think you have left out the most important factors which are
1. Have a focused niche. This means that google ads are more targeted and more relevant to your site
2. Have great content. This means your visitors will stay longer on your site and keep coming back
Affiliate Marketing Introduction:
Thanks for visiting!
IMO those are not ways to improve the CTR. They’re just to get people to your site. The focused niche thing… what if the ads are not contextual?
Anyways… thanks for dropping a comment.
Thanks for your tips. Its really working to many site and blog. Hope the best from you guys!
I havn’t joined eny contextual ad companies yet(adsense ect.). Is it a good idea to wait until you get a good amount of loyal traffic or should I start now?
titan:
That’s great to hear. I hope to see you around here more often.
R.J.:
If you start now, some of your readers might not visit your site any more. Try to get some loyal readers first then start putting the ads. Or, you may put some ads now, but do not place them in a spot where they can be very obtrusive.
thanx for the advise.
[…] is when people click on ads, you receive traffic, not money. Check my article which discusses how to improve your clickthrough rates if you want to know how to get more clicks (and more […]
A very good way of improving your CTR is to make your ad straight to the point and in a way that will want the visitors to click through to your site. Although you can right some adult words in your ad, it’s best not to. Although you want to get a good CTR, you also want to make sure these visitors convert, so making it as close to what your site offers as possible, the better.
[…] them? If you’re serving ads, show them to the world. Don’t hide them in the shadows. Check this post for ways to increase your CTR (clickthrough […]
With regards to placement of your ads, i think the buzz term is ‘above the fold’ I know this certainly has inceased my clickthrough rate for adsense.
I think using “recommended sites”, “great sites” in the heading of adsense units is against the TOS.