How to Increase Your Click-Through Rate for Google Searches

Monitor the performance of your ad's click-through-rate and redo ads as necessary.

Google AdWords allows businesses with a web presence to buy keyword targeted advertisements that appear in Google's search engine results and targeted websites. An AdWords Click-through-rate (CTR) is a measure of how many clicks an ad produces in relationship to the number of times it is shown. CTR is a critical measure of an ad's effectiveness and one way that Google determines where to place each advertiser's ads and how much to charge. Increasing AdWords CTR takes time and practice, but there are several guidelines that will get any ad going in the right direction.

Instructions

1. Choose targeted, two to three word keyword phrases and use them in your ad headlines. Your ad will show up when people are searching for this keyword, so adding it to your headline will make your ad appear most relevant to their needs. In addition, any words that are identical to the keyword searched for will automatically display in bold font, drawing attention to your ad.

2. Keep your ad description short but incredibly relevant with a call to action. Tell searchers exactly what benefits or products you have to offer that relate to the keyword they are searching. Give a direct instruction as part of your description that tells the searcher what to expect from your website and what to do when they get there. Call-to-action phrases include words such as order, sign-up, buy and browse.

3. Target some of your ads by location. When you set up a campaign, Google allows you to select a target location including a country, region and city. Determine if your target market is in a specific location and edit your campaign to focus on those specific locations to boost your click-through-rate as well as your conversions.

4. Test different ads and monitor their performance with Google's reporting data. Use varying keywords, headlines and descriptions across several different ads to find out which produces the highest click-through-rate. The more testing you do, the better your chances of creating optimal ads that will make you money. Stick with the ads that perform well and ditch those that do not.

References

• Google: Insider's Guide to AdWords
• Google AdWords: Tips for Success
• "Inc."; 7 Secrets to Getting More from Google AdWords; Minda Zetlin; September 2009
• "Entrepreneur"; Getting a Great Ranking With Google AdWords; Corey Rudl; February 2005

Resources

• Google Adwords: Adwords Help