I am doomed (CTR low)

1. 74

   David 470posted 14 years ago

   I have said this in the past, but my CTR for Google adsense has taken a turn for the worst. It seems to be getting worse and worse. I do not know why this is happening.
   
   Today was a record low for CTR for me. Does anyone else have a low click through ratio rate? (Do not post exact, not allowed)
   
   Surely my income would be about 2x more if the CTR was average....

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   1. 99

      Susana Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I did give you a suggestion before about thinking about doing some tweaks to make sure your getting the best ads for your page, but I don't know if you saw it or not
      
      http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/60792#post1348660
      
      Having irrelevant ads will push down your CTR hugely.
      
      To improve the ads I would use google's keyword tool to find related phrases that have high advertiser competition and use them in the capsule subheadings esp. the first & second capsules. Also add more generic tags such as gaming, xbox gaming, pc gaming, ps3 gaming, pc games, xbox games etc.
      
      Also (unfortunately) the CTR for pages on gaming is notoriously low even when you have the right ads. To try and compensate I would put an amazon capsule on each of your black ops hubs with the game guide and push it in the content.
      
      I have tested different ad layouts and the best I've found is this one: http://hubpages.com/hub/best-glider-roc … or-nursery
      
      Edit: wrote high publisher competition by accident, it should be high advertiser competition.

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      1. 60

         Vcizeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Is it true that CTR for games are generally low?  In my experience, CTR for games is typically pretty good, the problem is that the clicks are worth so little compared to other niches.

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2. 73

   KCC Big Countryposted 14 years ago

   My ctr sucks...but it can suck all the way to bank.  Don't get hung up on it.  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him click. 

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3. 73

   KCC Big Countryposted 14 years ago

   Of course our revenue would be higher if the ctr was better....but one important component is knowing what to write about that draws the kind of people who like to click.  You can't always write what you want and EXPECT the clicks to magically happen.  People who read about that topic might not be the type to click on ads.

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   1. 74

      David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I just feel as if my traffic is going to complete waste essentially. I originally had an average CTR, but it has fallen significantly.
      
      Perhaps I can pray lol?

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      1. 73

         KCC Big Countryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You can try that......but if it were me, I'd write more hubs instead.

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         1. 74

            David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Of course I am writing more hubs, but I always look at the potential of things if you know what I mean ..

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4. 58

   CodyPhrenismposted 14 years ago

   Set up your hubs with a picture up top and a text capsule beneath. This will maximize the amount of ads located above the fold and increase ctr accordingly.
   
   An example is here
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Green-And-red-Striped-Socks
   
   Play with it a little bit and you'll figure it out. Best of luck!

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   1. 74

      David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I could try that. I originally did it that way, but though it was bad.

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   2. 74

      David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Does anyone think a picture at the top is better or a picture in the middle is better? I will change it to that, if the CTR can be potentially higher

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5. 73

   KCC Big Countryposted 14 years ago

   Here's another thing to remember.  Would you really care if you had 10,000 pageviews and NO clicks, if one person who viewed that article offered you a job making XXXXXX?  Many of us, including me, have found opportunities that are worth much more to us that just Adsense money.  Keep writing, stop worrying.

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   1. 67

      Ladybird33posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you 100 percent!  Writing is the key

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6. 72

   Tim_511posted 14 years ago

   I'm there with you, man.  I would be making a good 3x as much if my CTR was on the low end of normal.  I don't have as much traffic as you, but it is plenty enough to have some regular clicks.

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7. 61

   jokeapptvposted 14 years ago

   i agree have fun and dont give up.

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8. 76

   Aficionadaposted 14 years ago

   I'm not sure I understand what Cody is saying.  Everyone else here says that a text capsule should be at the top, because that is prime Adsense space.  If a text capsule is first, then Adsense ads can be placed immediately to the right of it.  Break up all of the text of the Hub into several different text capsules, and that will provide more spots for ads.  Pictures can be sprinkled throughout, some between text capsules if they are worth having in a large size. Some pictures can be on the right side of a text capsule.  But the top spot should be a text capsule, if you have Adsense.

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9. 73

   KCC Big Countryposted 14 years ago

   I'm not sure, but maybe he'll come back to clarify, but in his mind by putting a skinny photo of the item he's trying to promote at the top he thinks having the small ads that run through the middle close to the ones that run along the top is a good thing.
   
   Many here believe the big ad is better to be just to the right of your first text box with that row of ads through the middle just below it.
   
   You may have to play with it to see what works for you.

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   1. 76

      Aficionadaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good point.  Maybe it also has to do with what kind of Hub it is.  Since the one about socks is clearly promoting a product, the picture at the top helps to advertise the product and is useful in a way that a picture at the top of an informational Hub would not.  Maybe that's an important distinction.... I don't know.

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   2. 81

      Urbane Chaosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      There are four adsense sections showing up instead of the regular three on the example Cody gave us..  Sure, it gets more ads above the fold, but I don't know how effective they are.  To me, as a reader of articles, I would simply bypass all of that to get to the actual information that I'm looking for.
      
      I think that by having the standard three the reader is more likely to notice the ads, rather than pass them by. 
      
      I dunno, may have to test that and see how well it works.

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10. 73

    KCC Big Countryposted 14 years ago

    It all depends on what that big block has.  For instance, I have a hub that I have 5 ads showing.  The two across the top and then the block that is sometimes one big ad, is instead 3 ads.  It all depends on what types of ads they match up with your content.  I'm sure that changes pretty regularly too. So, what appears to result in 5 ads one day, might go back to 3 the next.

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11. 0

    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    I just went to your latest hub and I really think you need to lose the picture at the top. If you insist on keeping it - make it a quarter in width and force it to the right. Then make your paragraph long enough so that you get a block of adsense ads to the the right under the pic.
    
    That picture was a major distraction. If you want to increase your click rate, then focus on adsense before you focus on anything else.
    
    The entire upper third of the hub, should be written and merchandized to bring the reader's eye to an adsense block - and nothing else.

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    1. 74

       David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, I was simply experimenting, that hub was not originally like that.
       
       Perhaps the majority of people believe a picture first is generally a bad idea.

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12. 0

    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    My own personal opinion is that anything that isn't clickable or sellable on a sales hub is a waste of space.

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13. 76

    skyfireposted 14 years ago

    Bad advice. It's better not to put picture up top. First two capsules should be Text Capsules.

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14. 63

    ns1209posted 14 years ago

    Also on the COD hubs have an amazon ad!

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    1. 74

       David 470posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, I doubt sales will be made from them lol.
       
       Amazon is not my niche right now...

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