As more and more people move their advertising print budgets to Google AdWords Click Thru Rates (CTR) are becoming an obsession. Most people don't like to hear all of the theory about CTR they just want the numbers so for my "just get to the point" readers here's my opinion:
A CTR that is under 1% is bad.
1-2% is modest but ok if you are getting conversions
2-4% should be the goal; even better if you are converting
4-5% is awesome!
5% is outstanding and you are most certainly making money at this point!
Anything over 50% is unbelievable!
Now for my "give me the detail" readers .... Use these numbers as a bench mark only! The SEO/Adwords Game is all about the details.
Industry - Most importantly the industry that you are targeting makes all of the difference. For example, If you build a specialized bolt for giant steel tanks specific only to off shore drilling you aren't going to see many clicks no matter where your ad is placed or how well it is written. If you sell insurance, real estate or cell phones you will no doubt receive many clicks with a well written ad. Your attention should be more focused on conversion.
Ad Quality - If you are receiving a good number of impressions but few clicks don't scrap your ad, your on the right track. Instead ad keyword phrases and geographical references. Write several similar ads and leave them up for a couple of weeks to determine which are better received by users.
Invite A Click - Similarly if you have written ads that are getting a good number of impressions but the keyword phrase is saturated for your market consider adding words of invitation to your users. i.e., "Call today!" "Click Here Now!" "Click Here for lowest rates!" "Why wait?" "Get free white papers!"
Google Content Ads - Finally, if you are using the content network your click thru rate will probably be much lower. Focus on grouping your keywords into tight categories and cherry pick your placements. Despite the assertions of Google, the content network is not equal for all products. Conversions are much more difficult for B2B or for saturated product markets.
Want more AdWords Advice? I'm here, just give me a call! 704-549-0125
Libby Lucas
llucas@ccpteam.com
www.ccpteam.com
