Boost Your CTR – Get More Clicks!

Boosting your Click Through Rate means that you get more clicks from your traffic pool, but we need to clarify that the CTR is just one metric and if those clicks don’t convert then it’s pretty pointless buying them unless you are into branding!

We are used to focussing on the CTR to boost the Quality Score and then reap all the benefits that a good QS brings such as lower CPC, higher ad positions and in turn more traffic and below are 8 Great ways to boost your AdWords CTR.

1. Sell the Sizzle.

Far too many AdWords ppc managers tend to write feature orientated adcopy rather than benefit orientated copy, you should always be running adcopy tests in your accounts to try to squeeze a better CTR or conversion rate and thus lower Cost Per Acquisition from your account. Here are over 20 ways you can change  your AdWords adverts to try to boost CTR and conversion.

2. Add Negative Keywords.

Negatives really help laser target which search traffic sees your advert, if you have are using phrase and broad (or even Modified Broad Match) keywords then negative keywords can make a huge difference in your CTR. Imagine you are getting 5 clicks per 100 impressions, yet 50 of those impressions are a from  keywords being matched via broad or phrase but they aren’t quite ideal, by using negative keywords to stop those impressions, you’d be getting 5 clicks still but from 50 impressions so for 100 impressions you’d be getting 10 clicks, thus you have just boosted your CTR from 5% to 10% by just a few negative keywords!

3) Restrict To Google Only.

Google’s search partner network can work for some clients but it’s worth testing excluding your ads from it for a while to see what difference that makes to CTR and conversion. One thing to be aware of is that some of them will not have ads showing at the top of their page so your CTR, even if you are first, would be terrible compared to Google’s own results.

4) Change Match Type.

You should audit your CTR by match type. You’ll find that exact typically has the best CTR as it only shows when exactly that term is typed in, the advert will bold up if you are relevant in your ads and you get the click however for other match types such as broad or phrase the CTR will often be lower due to non exact search queries triggering your ads. If your broad match has a very low CTR you could pause them and try Modified broad match to see if that gets you a better CTR. They key thing is to test, don’t just assume that because industry norms dictate that exact do better than phrase and phrase do better than broad that your account will run the same but you should test at least.

5) Be More Relevant.

Back to Adcopy again, but also your entire AdGroup, if your adcopy doesn’t match the same message your keywords are driving then you’ll find that a lower CTR happens as your adcopy can’t be truly relevant to 30+ keywords, Google ultimately rewards relevancy as it earns them more money so if you create smaller, more focussed AdGroups that have specific adcopy that truly reflects those keywords it is displaying against then you should get a better CTR.

6)  Device Targeting.

Different devices convert radically differently, people also start the sales process on one device then switch to another, Google’s “” report here has great data on this. Mobile users perception of search has changed and so have the results so if you are only targeting desktop then it’s time to change, or alternatively if you are targeting mobile then dig into the stats and ensure it’s working for you.

7) Use Ad Extensions.

Google has a grate array of ad extensions, not only can you show links to different parts of your site with custom adcopy there that can be used to further sell the sizzle, you also take up more real estate on screen and push computers adverts lower down, thus boosting  your CTR. Ensure that you take time to right compelling, relevant site extension link titles though to really entice users to click and visit the right page for them.

8) Pay More.

Raising your bid, should get you higher up the page, being higher up the page means you’ll get more clicks normally so you will get a higher CTR although at a higher Cost Per Click … BUT you need to be sure that you can convert that traffic or it could prove costly. If you carry out some of the other steps above this should help make your ads more relevant, which in turn should hopefully (if your landing pages are up to scratch) convert more traffic so you’ll be in a better position to stand a higher CPC.

Try some of the above and see what difference your account yields but we advise testing in a few AdGroups first before making wholesale account changes, not all sectors users think the same so it’s wise to be cautious and make gradual changes. Also not that CTR is just one KPI you should take account of, it has far reaching benefits when it’s high but ultimately your Cost per lead/sale and ROI need to be closely monitored too, if you have someone managing  your account and CTR is their main metric, things could get problematic further down the line so keep an eye on things.