Terrible CTR on content network

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scottspfd82

scottspfd82

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Dec 29, 2006
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I'm just starting to experiment with some arbi. My first campaign was related to mortgages, my ad text and keywords where relevant, I was showing up in an average of position of 3-4, got over 1700 impressions with 2 clicks.

I just started another related to debt consolidation. Averaging #2 spot. My ad is relevant, keywords are relevant, so far 900+ impressions, zero clicks.

On the search network I'm used to a pretty decent CTR. Any guesses as to why the CTR is sucking ass?

The main keyword I'm hitting is debt consolidation. My ad is

Free Debt Consolidation
Why Pay For Help When
You're Already In Debt?

I'm doing adwords to adcents btw.
Any help is appreciated.
 


I see content CTRs anywhere from .5% to as low as .05%.

Think about this:

Content ads, especially low bids, can be displayed anywhere on a page. Your ad could be loading below the fold on a forum. With a maximum of 3 ad units per page, one view could include as many 12 (or so) other Google ads. Only one is going to get clicked. On top of that, the publisher could also be running image ads on the site too.

You want high CTRs on content? Crank up your bid.
 
Andrew said:
I see content CTRs anywhere from .5% to as low as .05%.

Think about this:

Content ads, especially low bids, can be displayed anywhere on a page. Your ad could be loading below the fold on a forum. With a maximum of 3 ad units per page, one view could include as many 12 (or so) other Google ads. Only one is going to get clicked. On top of that, the publisher could also be running image ads on the site too.

You want high CTRs on content? Crank up your bid.
Click to expand...

You can also use site-targeting. Only target sites that display adsense above the fold. Sometimes you might not find any good sites in a particular niche, but if you play it right you could get 10%+ CTR.
 
xharrisonx said:
Disable content network; its very shitty traffic
Click to expand...

Only when you don't know what you're doing.

This type of sweeping bullshit generalizations from industry guys kept me off the content network a long time. Last month, after some testing, my biggest earning campaign was a content-only campaign on adwords.
 
I've had CTR as high as 16% on the CN. Average is around 2.5%. Just depends on how well the ad copy is targeted & if the topic's audience tend to be clickety clickers.
 
NoelKuhl said:
Only when you don't know what you're doing.

This type of sweeping bullshit generalizations from industry guys kept me off the content network a long time. Last month, after some testing, my biggest earning campaign was a content-only campaign on adwords.
Click to expand...

I'm on the content network for arbi, not CPA. And in my limited experience, the content network can work just fine for CPA if you go about it the right way.
 
That would be correct, adsense would cease to exist. Not going to happen though. From what I understand the content network can be much more valuable than many people believe. Just have to test until it starts spitting out money.
 
scottspfd82 said:
That would be correct, adsense would cease to exist. Not going to happen though. From what I understand the content network can be much more valuable than many people believe. Just have to test until it starts spitting out money.
Click to expand...


I agree completely. I put a lot of time and money into my content site, but I'm not so arrogant that I think my content is the perfect fit for everyone. Knowing that, I have adsense well placed in my content. If a user is going to go somewhere else, they can either go...or I make money on that exit. A well written ad in content can help them make the choice as to where they go.

I think the thing to remember is that a person doing a search is in a different mode than a person already reading content. You have to get the user to notice your headline. You have to convince them that YOUR site has something that they aren't getting from the content they're reading. Hook them with your headline, and you'll pull them away from the content they were reading. Plus, if your headline is good enough it makes up for crappy placement of adsense creatives. Some webmasters just throw it anywhere.
 
Thats assuming it is a person clicking your ad...

I dunno about you guys but Adsense is the perfect incentive for clickfraud. I follow the adsense TOS but I know many people don't and try to cheat the system, bilking millions of dollars from advertisers. This is why I don't recommend the content network. You get clicks but no transparency.

JMHO
 
webonline said:
Thats assuming it is a person clicking your ad...

I dunno about you guys but Adsense is the perfect incentive for clickfraud. I follow the adsense TOS but I know many people don't and try to cheat the system, bilking millions of dollars from advertisers. This is why I don't recommend the content network. You get clicks but no transparency.

JMHO
Click to expand...

Sure there is some level of fraud. But you are paying (or should be) much less for clicks coming from the content network. I can afford to have 1 in 5 convert and I still make a profit.
 
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