Content Network Ads

How do content network ads differ from search network ads?

[Jack_Hughes]

I find the content network rather frustrating. I've tried it three time thus far and have failed miserably to get a ROI on the traffic.

Some of the traffic converts, just not enough of it to make it pay.

What am I doing wrong. I just use the same ads as I do for the search network. I've had my suspicions for a while that that is a bad way to go about it.

What is the difference between content ads and search ads?

[mike_ppc]

There are two main reasons why content converts miserably in most of the cases (IMO):
1. Matching method - when the ad is displayed - based on the "theme" of the keywords in the adgroup. The relevancy is of course much smaller.
2. Quality of the content traffic - because of the sites in this network - many possible coments here...

[AdWordsAdvisor]

1. Matching method - when the ad is displayed - based on the "theme" of the keywords in the adgroup. The relevancy is of course much smaller.

Just a very quick comment on this point. Please know that this is very much within an advertiser's control, as noted below:

How to ensure really bad results with content targeting: select a long list of general and unrelated keywords, which show an ad that is not truly targeted to any of them.

How to maximize your chances for really good results with content targeting: create highly focused Ad Groups which are about the same thing as the sort of content pages on which you'd like your ads to show. Specifically, use a highly targeted list of keywords that are all about one product or service, which then show a crisply written ad about exactly that same thing.

AWA