Using The Google Search Network - What Is A Good CTR?

by AndrewEgorov

One of the most common questions that newcomers ask when they start using Google for their advertising is "What is a good CTR"?

Google splits it's networks into two separate networks - the Google Search Network and the Google Content Network. So when asking the question about CTR, one needs to specify which of these two networks is being referred to, as CTR results vary greatly between them.

Simply put, the Search network is when you use the Google form to search for keywords. Ads that result from those searches are listed at the top 3 positions and down the right hand side. Ads in the top 3 positions will get CTRs in the 20% range or even more, whilst ads at the bottom of the page will usually drop substantially all the way down to 1% or less.

It doesn't take an Einstein to realise that to get a good CTR, you want to ensure that your ad is in as high a position as possible for a given search result. Furthermore, getting a top position is in a lot of ways a lot more important than how good your ad copy is.

When you're looking at the Content Network on Google's partner sites, the CTR has an entirely different meaning. The CTR will drop dramatically when compared with Search network CTR figures. You might see CTR figures of 0.05% which is whole lot less than typical Search network results.

However, don't be fooled by these low percentages. The traffic being generated in the Content Network is many times larger. With low CTRs in the Content Network you can still achieve excellent results.

However, you should always aim for having a high CTR within the Google search engine overall. If your general overall CTR is less than 1%, Google will deem your ads as being of low quality and you will end up getting "Google slapped" (which is where Google will penalise you with an ever-increasing minimum CPC) because your ad does not attract enough clicks.

If your ads are in the top positions, your CTR should be in the high single digits or even double digits if your ads appear in the very top right positions and Google will reward you by lowering your minimum CPC.

About the Author:

Want to find out how to improve yourCTR, then visit Andrew Egorov's online business training site to learn more. Avoid the dreadedGoogle slap once and for all.