There are many ways you can improve google ads CTR (click through rate). In this article we will be looking at 5 different ways you can improve the number of clicks your ad receives.
There are a number of reasons an advertiser might want to increase Google ads CTR.
- CTR is a major component in Google ads quality score. This means that if you improve your CTR it can have a direct impact on your campaigns performance. If your quality score increases, your ad could show in a better position and you could end up paying less per click.
- Perhaps you have a small market, where impressions are limited, such as like a local business. In this case CTR might be the only thing you can improve to increase site visitors.
Whatever your reason for wanting to improve Google ads CTR. There are a number of things you can do.
Improve Google ads CTR Tip #1
Create high quality relevant ads – Your ads should be well written and highly relevant to the users search query. They should stand out from other competitor ads, by matching exactly what the user is searching for. Most advertisers will use generic ads for all their campaigns and ad groups. By creating more relevant ads you will stand out more.
If you have set up your campaigns correctly, you should be using tightly themed ad groups. This will help you to write more specific ads and you can use the themed keywords in that group, to help craft the ads.
By making your ads as relevant as possible, you are far more likely to improve Google ads CTR, because the ads will resonate more with the person who is searching on Google.
Improve Google Ads CTR Tip #2
Use discounts and offers in your ads – Everyone likes a good deal and adding something compelling in your headlines or description can help to drive up CTR.
Perhaps you could offer a discount such as a percentage off, or a specific saving. Maybe you offer free shipping, or a free quote. The goal here is to think of something you can offer a potential customer that other advertisers aren’t offering.
At the very least you should be looking at what other advertisers are offering and trying to offer something similar. If you have no offer and competitors do, who do you think will get the click?
Remember to think of your customer first, what would motivate them? The offer will vary by industry, but consider what would make them take action. It could be a discount. Perhaps it’s the quality of the product of service. Maybe you can deliver faster than anyone else. Just try to think of things that will tip the scale in your favour with potential customers.
Improve Google Ads CTR Tip #3
Make use of all the ad fields – Google have recently made expanded text ads even bigger. If you were around Adwords a few years ago, you will remember when ads were much smaller.
Before Google made their first update in 2016 standard text ads were much smaller. You had one headline that had a maximum of 25 characters. This was followed by two 35 character description lines.
Nowadays ads are much bigger in comparison. You now have 3 headlines which are 30 characters each and 2 descriptions which are 90 characters in length. This is an enormous increase and you should take advantage of it.
By using all the available fields you have multiple advantages
- Your ad is much bigger. This means it will stand out far more, especially if your competitors are not using all the available fields.
- You have the opportunity to show people far more information, as well as being able to add compelling offers and strong calls to action.
Improve Google Ads CTR Tip #4
Make sure you are using all relevant ad extensions – Google offers a full suite of ad extensions, which you can use in your ads to help improve Google Ads CTR.
Ad extensions give you even more opportunity to expand your add and include additional information that could make people more likely to click.
The ad extensions you decide to use are going to vary based on your business and the goal of your ads. However there are a few common extensions that almost every advertiser should be using. These are:
- Sitelinks Extensions – This extension lets you add additional links below your ad. By using sitelinks you can create links to different pages on your website that might be useful for potential customers. This could be specific products or services. Or perhaps you want to let them read customer testimonials. Or view your portfolio. Sitelinks have been shown to improve Google ads CTR, between 10-20%
- Callout Extensions – Callouts are similar to site links and will be displayed below your ads descriptions. The main difference is they don’t link to pages (they are not clickable). The goal of callouts is to call out more features and benefits. For example “Free Postage” “24/7 Customer Support”, “Price Matching” etc.
- Call Extensions – By adding call extensions, you display your number on ads displayed on computers and tablets. You also give people the ability to call directly from ads on a mobile device. This is going to be useful feature for most businesses, as it gives customers the opportunity to call you directly.
There are a number of additional extensions and you should choose any of the remaining extensions based on your advertising goals. All of the above are likely to improve Google ads CTR.
Improve Google Ads CTR Tip #5
Constantly split test – When you are trying to improve Google ads CTR all of the above will help. However none are guaranteed! When you are running a campaign there is always room for improvement. This means you should always be split testing.
Things you can split test include:
- Headlines
- Descriptions
- Keyword insertion
- Punctuation in your ads
- Capitalisation (Title case, Sentence case)
- Display URLs
- Different offers
- Try using questions
- Try testing price vs percentage discounts
And the list goes on. The key point here is you should never stop split testing new ideas. You should aim to be testing 2-4 ads at all times and the goal should be to continually improve.
Trust me! You might be quite surprised how much consistent testing can help you improve Google ads CTR, as well as other important metrics like conversion rate.
How important is it to Improve Google Ads CTR?
Whilst improving your click through rate can be an important goal for your campaigns, it is not the only goal and you should remember why you are advertising in the first place.
It is highly likely that you are running ads with an end goal in mind. Whether the goal is leads, sales downloads or any other type of action. The end result is usually a positive return on your ad spend. With this in mind don’t forget to keep your eye on the prize. High CTR’s are great but if they don’t result in improving your profits, it can just become a vanity metric.
Profit is far more important than getting the highest possible CTR. Make sure you use a balanced approach and try to find the sweet spot between high click through rates and high conversion rates.