Conversion Rate Optimisation Tips for Ads

The need for a healthy click-through rate for your ads is obvious; what is a bit less obvious is how to get that good CTR.  CTRs depend on where your ads appear and how consumers access them (for example, desktop vs. mobile), but they are generally within the 0.1 – 0.3 percent range. A decade ago, an average CTR would be about 3 percent. Ad saturation has certainly been a major factor in this; online users are bombarded by ads at all turns. Conversion rate optimisation can help you create more effective ads.

Here are a few CRO tips to revitalize your campaigns:

• Change your ads. The effectiveness of your ads peaks within 24 hours or so. By 72 hours, it’s virtually useless. It becomes part of the landscape, like telephone poles that we don’t even notice anymore. Refresh.
• Make sure your ads clearly align with your landing page. How many times have you clicked on an ad that promised a great product only to be led to a landing page with other, more pricy and less relevant products? It’s irritating, right? Because you are not getting what you expected when you clicked through. You may have got the click, but you’re not going to get the CTA completion you want.
• Play up any sales, discounts, specials, or events that are happening now. “50% off today only!” creates a sense of urgency.  If you are having a sale, it’s also a good idea to add a discount code. People love a deal.
• If you have ads on your webpage, consider whether they are doing their job. Test your conversion rates on versions of your page with ads and without. If having no ads leads to a better conversion rate, the extra ad revenue may not be worth it. Then again, maybe your ad doesn’t affect conversion, and, in that case, revenue is more than welcome.

You can get into worrying about details like what color your CTA text should be, what color your buttons and background should be, etc., but before you start testing these variables, make sure you have the fundamentals in place. Those are the areas that really impact conversion rates.