It sounds like you've got the Content Network switched on. This can really confuse your numbers, as it'll give you a lot of impressions, but very few clicks (which doesn't matter). What are your clicks and impressions on Search? Also, in order to tell whether it's a good clickthrough rate, you need to know the average position - an advert appearing at the top of the results will get a better clickthrough rate than it would at the bottom of the page. If you're only including the search network in the numbers, then it's very bad, regardless of the position.
Thanks CustardMite. These numbers include both content network and search engine results. So, this is not good at all. Is there a way to improve them? I am sure my keywords and landing pages are fine. Would getting rid of the keywords that are not positioned at the top or near the top help?
First of all I would switch off the content network and concentrate on Search network. Delete the keywords that haven't brought you any clicks for a long time. Group your keywords, if you haven't done so. Write good ads to improve your CTR, and decrease the costs.
No need to switch off the content network as google ignores those impressions and clicks when calculating your ctr. It only uses the google network for this number, (not it's partner network either). Plus the content network is becoming lucrative again.
Apologies - you misunderstood me. Since the numbers include the content network, it's impossible to say whether they are good or not. If you want to assess your clickthrough rate, you have to look at the search network on its own. What are your impressions and clicks on the Search Network alone? You can find out by running a report, and selecting the "Filter Your Results" "Ad Distribution" option to "Search". Regarding whether you should run on the content network or not, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. All you can do is try it, though if you're new to Adwords, it may make sense to get the Search Network working well first, and then start thinking about the Content Network - it's up to you.
Thanks for clearing that up CustardMite. I was wondering which page can I exactly find, 'run a report' and 'filtering the results' option. I looked all over the campaign and ad groups page, and could not find it.
You should see four tabs at the top of the screen - Campaign Management, Reports, Analytics and My Account. To run a report, click on the second tab, then follow the instructions. Here's Google's guide to reporting: http://www.google.com/adwords/learningcenter/text/19199.html
Finally, I was able to run the report with only 'search' option turned on. This is what I got: For 1545 impressions, it got 22 clicks. That was for yesterday.
The next question is... did you make money? I have run many campaigns that require prequalifying the visitor so I have had low ctr but we have great roi. Our product was consumer loans...so we had lots of apps but few that were qualified. So I changed our copy to be more restrictive..ie dont apply unless you have great credit, etc. and our apps were reduced dramatically but we also had more qualified loan apps. Through testing you will find the best recipe.
1.5% CTR isn't terrible if you're in position 6+, though you'd still want to get it a bit higher. If your advert is appearing higher than position 5 then your clickthrough rate isn't very good, and if you're in the top three, it's bad. I'd recommend running two adverts at a time. Keep the one that works better, and delete the worse one, then write another new one, and repeat the test. Here's some tips on writing adverts: http://www.epiphanysolutions.co.uk/...advert-text/maximising-the-click-through-rate
I got similar problem, for 800 impressions I am getting about 10 clicks. I appear in top 5 positions, usually 1-3. My ads are great, and I don't know why people are not clicking on them. Also, the product is not really competitive, so I should be getting good results.
Well, I tried turning off the content network. My search network is currently turned on. So, I am getting better CTR now. But traffic has deteriorated dramatically in the last few days. I guess I used to get lot of impressions before, not anymore. Any tips on that?
You would get a lot of impressions on the Content Network, but they don't really count as traffic. It's the number of clicks that matters (and whether they convert, obviously).
My content network is switched off, I am only using Search Network. Again today, I have 800 impressions and 10 clicks, it's just unbelievable. Seems that my ad is not good, but it's just excellent...