Forum Moderators: martinibuster
What about a consistent 20-22% clickthrough rate?
I have clickthrough rate data from a domain parking program. The domain parking service allows me to force optimize links on their landing pages so the landing pages aren't build of generic "Mortgage Quotes, Online Casino, etc. links" but hand coded keyword phrases relevant to the domain.
The domains are all pretty high grade commercially oriented dot coms or dot org. (I'm not talking about directory domains either.) The sample size of domains is large, more than a few hundred.
For example: I'm the registrant of IrishWidgets.com Force optimization means that I can create my own "keyword phases as links" on the first page that appears when someone types in IrishWidgets.com. Say links for "Blue Irish Widgets, Cheap Irish Widgets, Irish Widget Exporters, Etc." Clicking on these force optimized links then triggers a second landing page populated with PPC fed links related to the force optimized keyword phrase links. In other words, if I crafted a link for "Irish Widget Exporters" the second landing page would have PPC links from 4 or companies that export Irish Widgets.
The clickthrough rate runs consistently in the 22% range.
The PPC feed sources appear fairly high quality so I'll venture a guess that the 22% rate isn't a function of the landing service running clickbots. Such companies aren't long for the world.
Is the higher clickthrough rate - CTR - a function of type-in traffic being highly focused on the subject matter?
Is the clickthrough rate a function of careful research on my part about what people are very likely looking for when they type in IrishWidgets.com?
By comparision, when it comes to AdSense sites, is your clickthrough rate a function of ads that are either well targeted - or not - to your site's apparent subject OR is it that people traveling by "search navigation" versus "direct/domain navigation" are more - what? On target? Predetermined?
Is it simply that domain landing pages offer fewer exits or distractions? What if the exits are quite spot on?
Is domain parking simply another version of scraper sites or is the ROI for direct navigation proving to be better than other forms of PPC? (Don't know. Not an industry insider.)
Is there an analogy between a nicely "force optimized" link landing page and a nice, terse "content page" that would suggest the CTR should be similar?
IF the ROI to advertisers from good PPC domain parking pages and tightly written content pages is similar then what?
If you craft content pages around a spot on domain - one that gets both type-in and SE traffic - do you see any higher CTR on your sites?
OR, is there an analogy between my ability to force optimize links - and thereby compelling PPC search feed links that are more on point - and the higher CTR that AdSense "premium partners" reportedly see? Trust would be a big factor in opening up such options to publishers, yes? Totally.
Food for thought. I'm going to eat my hamburger. ;0)
Also, on force optimized pages the search box tends to appear below the fold.
What you see on an initial landing page is this: 3 columns, 6 links deep, total of 18 optimized keyword links.
Below that you see about 30 generic links.
Below that you see the search box if you scroll down.
My hypothesis: 1) Domain is a factor, since most traffic is type-in. 2) Relevant linked keyword phrases at the top of the initial landing page helps. 3) My domain parking companies software allows me to pull mostly relevant PPC links onto the second landing page.
So, here's the theory: IF you know what keyword phrases are likely to have brought people to a certain page on your website AND IFF you know there are relevant subtopics to that keyword phrase THEN consider placing keyword phrase nav links at the top of the initial landing page "as an accommodation" to the visitor - just in case the are "really looking", in which case they may promptly drill down into your website for "the more specific term", which naturally will be handled in some detail on the next page.
This all fits nicely into the model that many people espouse regarding designing pages around 3, 4 or 5 word keyword search phrases. Likely you will get a better CTR and the advertisements (hopefully) will be more relevant AND the advertisers ROI will be better for the effort.
If this is all obvious to you that's great. All I'm reporting here, then, is that there appears to be a parallel phenomena in the PPC landing page world.
It's my understanding that specific discussions about your CTR may not yet be fully acceptable, but it seems to me that if the "how much do you make" issue has been resolved then better discussions about CTR ought not be far behind.
It seems to me that CTR and advertiser ROI and hopefully AdSense feeds are all a function of landing pages that drill down nicely to specific interests and that evoke specific interest ads.
At least that's the way it's looking in the domain parking PPC world.
Now, if I could only convince the domain parking company to move the search box above the fold, above the generic links.
P.S. What's to tell about utilization of the Google Search Box?
