Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof

sevenwonders · 02-10-2011, 05:50 AM

Hi Everyone

Even before I ask this I know I am probably asking for someone to give me the answer to the holy grail, but here goes:

Last year, for the period 1st June - 31st August , I had a steady 5% CTR on adsense, however that has been steadily falling off to last month where my CTR was a paltry 1.25%.

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with traffic, as my page views have doubled in that time, however the CTR has fallen drastically.

I haven't changed my page design - could that have something to do with the fall?

I suppose I'm not looking for a definitive answer, just some pointers as how to bring it back up again?

Thanks

adsenselive · 02-10-2011, 06:38 AM

Mine too has dropped to similar level yet I find myself in the same situation as you, with traffic to my gardening site having doubled. I will keep checking this thread as I too would like to get to the bottom of it,

sevenwonders · 02-10-2011, 07:32 AM

Perhaps it could be product related, as my niche is in gardening too, maybe people in the US are not searching for that at present as it is winter and not tending their gardens as much?

Steve Crooks · 02-10-2011, 08:08 AM

There are many many factors that influence Adsense CTR, here are a few of the main ones..

1. Seasonal - Some niches are quite seasonal, gardening being one of them. If most traffic comes from Europe then between November to February people are not so interested in parting with cash for gardening products and that includes clicking on ads..

2. Quality of adverts - The sales copy of ads change frequently and if the ads displayed on your site are of poor quality and not very appealing then this can certainly be a factor. Poor ads = low CTR.

3. The doubleClick dart cookie - Adsense utilizes the doubleclick dart cookie which is supposed to show visitor relevant ads as well as contextual relevant ads. Sometimes this can be bonus but other times it can be a turn off with regards CTR.

4. Ad Blindness - Many times people just get tired of seeing ads and there are many reasons why this happens. Repeat visitors will also add to your visitor numbers and probably not be clicking ads so this will further decrease CTR.

These are just a few reasons for varying CTR but what can you do to improve it?

1. Test new Ad types, sizes, colours, positions etc, and record the results for each one. Utilizing Google Adsense channels can help you with this. Keep the best performing ad blocks.

2. Experiment with link units and Adsense for search also.

3. Ad blocks within the text can sometimes have great CTR.

4. Look at some of the more succesful sites with Adsense on and make notes about their Adsense blocks in terms of position, colour, sizes, visibility etc.

5. Try experimenting with the doubleClick dart cookie by switching it off and comparing your results.

6. Check the relevance of your ads to the context of the article on your web pages. If the ads are not relevant and not appealing then consider blocking certain ads and networks. Also try allowing other types of ads that are more relevant.

I hope this helps a bit..

Buyseech · 02-10-2011, 08:10 AM

It depends on a lot of factors :

- Trends
- Geographic location of the traffic source (and the ads displayed there)
- Longevity of the product "life" (was it a fad?)

I have a 2 site targeting the same keyword, one for UK and one for the rest of the world (.com and .co.uk)... Same design...almost identical content (not duplicate)...same ad block...same position...

UK ctr is 3x larger than the rest of the world. And the click revenue is 60-70% higher per click.

GEO targeting is VERY important. (domains as well as google.webmaster.tools...)

Hope this helps.

Sincerely, Buyseech

sevenwonders · 02-10-2011, 10:42 AM

Wow great replies...

There's a lot of information to digest there, I'll have to reread a few times to make sure I understand

Thanks again guys

Nerfd · 02-10-2011, 03:12 PM

I have a new site, it is not a standard niche selling something unfortunately. (It is a site with gaming guides) I have had zero add clicks from the 100 or so unique visitors i have had over the last two days. Does anyone know why this might be the case?

02-10-2011, 05:50 AM	#1
sevenwonders Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 7 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof Hi Everyone Even before I ask this I know I am probably asking for someone to give me the answer to the holy grail, but here goes: Last year, for the period 1st June - 31st August , I had a steady 5% CTR on adsense, however that has been steadily falling off to last month where my CTR was a paltry 1.25%. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with traffic, as my page views have doubled in that time, however the CTR has fallen drastically. I haven't changed my page design - could that have something to do with the fall? I suppose I'm not looking for a definitive answer, just some pointers as how to bring it back up again? Thanks
	World Wonders Seven \| Seven World Wonders

02-10-2011, 06:38 AM	#2
adsenselive Hydroplane Driver Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 55 Thanks: 2 Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof Mine too has dropped to similar level yet I find myself in the same situation as you, with traffic to my gardening site having doubled. I will keep checking this thread as I too would like to get to the bottom of it,

02-10-2011, 07:32 AM	#3
sevenwonders Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 7 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof Perhaps it could be product related, as my niche is in gardening too, maybe people in the US are not searching for that at present as it is winter and not tending their gardens as much?
	World Wonders Seven \| Seven World Wonders

02-10-2011, 08:08 AM	#4
Steve Crooks Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hampshire, United Kingdom. Posts: 1,568 Thanks: 72 Thanked 377 Times in 194 Posts Social Networking	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof There are many many factors that influence Adsense CTR, here are a few of the main ones.. 1. Seasonal - Some niches are quite seasonal, gardening being one of them. If most traffic comes from Europe then between November to February people are not so interested in parting with cash for gardening products and that includes clicking on ads.. 2. Quality of adverts - The sales copy of ads change frequently and if the ads displayed on your site are of poor quality and not very appealing then this can certainly be a factor. Poor ads = low CTR. 3. The doubleClick dart cookie - Adsense utilizes the doubleclick dart cookie which is supposed to show visitor relevant ads as well as contextual relevant ads. Sometimes this can be bonus but other times it can be a turn off with regards CTR. 4. Ad Blindness - Many times people just get tired of seeing ads and there are many reasons why this happens. Repeat visitors will also add to your visitor numbers and probably not be clicking ads so this will further decrease CTR. These are just a few reasons for varying CTR but what can you do to improve it? 1. Test new Ad types, sizes, colours, positions etc, and record the results for each one. Utilizing Google Adsense channels can help you with this. Keep the best performing ad blocks. 2. Experiment with link units and Adsense for search also. 3. Ad blocks within the text can sometimes have great CTR. 4. Look at some of the more succesful sites with Adsense on and make notes about their Adsense blocks in terms of position, colour, sizes, visibility etc. 5. Try experimenting with the doubleClick dart cookie by switching it off and comparing your results. 6. Check the relevance of your ads to the context of the article on your web pages. If the ads are not relevant and not appealing then consider blocking certain ads and networks. Also try allowing other types of ads that are more relevant. I hope this helps a bit..
	Check Out My New Challenge The Google Free Website Profits Challenge! --------------------------

02-10-2011, 08:10 AM	#5
Buyseech ÜberActive Warrior Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Slovenia Posts: 276 Thanks: 34 Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof It depends on a lot of factors : - Trends - Geographic location of the traffic source (and the ads displayed there) - Longevity of the product "life" (was it a fad?) I have a 2 site targeting the same keyword, one for UK and one for the rest of the world (.com and .co.uk)... Same design...almost identical content (not duplicate)...same ad block...same position... UK ctr is 3x larger than the rest of the world. And the click revenue is 60-70% higher per click. GEO targeting is VERY important. (domains as well as google.webmaster.tools...) Hope this helps. Sincerely, Buyseech
	www.BUYSEECH.com - SEO Tips, Business ideas, Marketing, Outsourcing...(P.s.: My personal BLOG)

02-10-2011, 10:42 AM	#6
sevenwonders Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 7 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof Wow great replies... There's a lot of information to digest there, I'll have to reread a few times to make sure I understand Thanks again guys
	World Wonders Seven \| Seven World Wonders

02-10-2011, 03:12 PM	#7
Nerfd Warrior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Adsense - Click Through Rate Falling Through The Roof I have a new site, it is not a standard niche selling something unfortunately. (It is a site with gaming guides) I have had zero add clicks from the 100 or so unique visitors i have had over the last two days. Does anyone know why this might be the case?