My CTR is way low

Discussion in 'Reporting & Stats' started by CosmosCR, May 3, 2006.

  1. #1
    43,000 impressions and i have **** CTR :(

    How do you get up to 4%?

    Is my site type just doomed to low CTR? I think i did all the little tricks.. like getting rid of borders. but i duno. do i need more ads? Mb you guys can help me out

    gamertech.com is my site
     
    CosmosCR, May 3, 2006 IP
  2. kkibak

    kkibak Peon

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    #2
    Hey, here's some tips I see right away:

    Don't center your ad in the main content area. Keep it aligned like everything else (e.g. to the left). On my resolution/browser the ads there are taken entirely out of the area my eyes go to.

    The ads on the left look fine.

    Try adding a horizontal link bar under the "Free Online Flash, Java, Shockwave Games." Make it look like a part of the site as much as you can without violating the TOS.

    Consider setting up a standard block underneath the first news posting, but above the others.

    I think those things would really help out your CTR, and that would not exceed the maximum amount of ads allowed.

    Good luck!
     
    kkibak, May 3, 2006 IP
  3. SonicReducer

    SonicReducer Peon

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    #3
    Game sites have notoriously low CTR. I think 1% might be a more realistic goal than 4%.
     
    SonicReducer, May 3, 2006 IP
  4. just-4-teens

    just-4-teens Peon

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    #4
    remove the vodafone ad and replace with a adsense 468x68 banner
     
    just-4-teens, May 3, 2006 IP
  5. Darkhodge

    Darkhodge Well-Known Member

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    #5
    Try replacing the banner (468) at the top of each page with a leaderboard (728). Or replace it with a horizontal link unit (728) aligned to the left. Remember that the ad should be placed above the fold, so this should be the one you experiment with the most.

    Also the advert down the left hand side of the page is not visible at all when you load the page - you should try and place it higher. You could do this by making the "games by genre" collapsable using hover over or something to try and save some space. Or may be make the "highest rated games" only list the top 3 and then have a little link that says "click here to view full list".

    Basically overall, remember you can place upto 3 content ad units, 1 link unit and search on each page. I definately recommend you making more use of the link unit as I don't see it anywhere on your site.

    I see you're not making use of the channels from your source code. Make sure you use it for each ad to see how it's performing. It's the best way to optimize your ads as you can see what effects your changes are making (colours, placement, actual type of ad unit etc..). For example you could create a channel named "728 banner (top)" to keep an eye on how the top leaderboard ad is peforming etc...


    I hope that helps... It's 4.15am where I am and I should be revising for my exams so I can't really think straight right now!!! :D
     
    Darkhodge, May 3, 2006 IP
  6. Darkhodge

    Darkhodge Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Btw the vodafone ad is an adsense ad... :eek:

    These 2 ideas put forward by kkibak are good too! :D
     
    Darkhodge, May 3, 2006 IP
  7. Joobz

    Joobz Peon

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    #7

    Attached Files:

    Joobz, May 3, 2006 IP
  8. Darkhodge

    Darkhodge Well-Known Member

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    #8
    Lol - wow people are really gonna want to click on that one!!! :D:D:D

    Also 43K impressions - what time span is that over?
     
    Darkhodge, May 3, 2006 IP
  9. CosmosCR

    CosmosCR Guest

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    #9
    Thanks for the tips. Ill def try them out next time i get some time to work on it.

    When i checked the directory links they were so much more relevant :/ i duno how to fix that. The ads i saw were for like building custom computers.

    im embarrased to say how long 43K is over. ha its not a high traffic site. YET! :)
     
    CosmosCR, May 3, 2006 IP
  10. Darkhodge

    Darkhodge Well-Known Member

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    #10
    Yeah I noticed and that's why I asked! :)

    I'm sure it'll improve in the near future :D
     
    Darkhodge, May 3, 2006 IP
  11. libertygone

    libertygone Active Member

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    #11
    i thought that displaying your CTR was against googles TOS?
     
    libertygone, May 4, 2006 IP
  12. bluesync

    bluesync Peon

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    #12
    I think for game sites, the best would be image ads. They really don't care about text since their intentions is to play games... If you signed up for like Fastclick or TribalFusion, or use Adsense image ads, it may work better.
     
    bluesync, May 4, 2006 IP
  13. CosmosCR

    CosmosCR Guest

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    #13
    i was not aware of that... i was just joking about it anyways.... + i dont even run that site... ::shifty eyes::
     
    CosmosCR, May 4, 2006 IP
  14. libertygone

    libertygone Active Member

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    #14
    surrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee..
    lol :)
     
    libertygone, May 4, 2006 IP
  15. just-4-teens

    just-4-teens Peon

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    #15
    so how comes i dont see the ads by google bit then?
     
    just-4-teens, May 4, 2006 IP
  16. alephito

    alephito Peon

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    #16
    Sometimes it does not appear.
     
    alephito, May 4, 2006 IP
  17. Darkhodge

    Darkhodge Well-Known Member

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    #17
    As alephito has already said, sometimes it doesn't show up. I only run AdSense on my sites and since a couple of weeks ago have been getting that vodafone ad...

    They must be paying quite a lot of cash for that campaign - it comes up on completely unrealated sites...
     
    Darkhodge, May 4, 2006 IP