So, what do you do when click volume declines unexpectedly? How do you find the cause and remedy the situation?<\/p>\n
The short answer? You need to dig deeper.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re new to Google Ads or you\u2019ve been analyzing hundreds of accounts like myself for 10 years, you need to learn to analyze below the surface level of campaign performance.<\/p>\n
In this post, we\u2019ll review not only the basics of click-through rate (CTR<\/a>) and what it means but also some of the key areas you\u2019ll need to dig into the performance that identifies your drop in click volume.<\/p>\n One of the metric definitions that hasn\u2019t changed over the years in Google Ads is CTR.<\/p>\n CTR is a relatively simple formula<\/a>: The number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown: clicks \u00f7 impressions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n While CTR is a simple calculation, this is one of the more vital metrics to help analyze performance.<\/p>\n Think again if you thought CTR could only be used to gauge compelling ad copy.<\/p>\n So, what is the purpose of CTR? Some applications of using CTR include:<\/p>\n When your CTR is suffering, this has a direct impact on click volume.<\/p>\n Now that CTR has been defined and we have use cases for the metric, you\u2019re probably wondering, \u201cWhat is a good CTR?\u201d<\/p>\n A recent study from Instapage<\/a> noted that the average CTR for search was 5.06% across all industries.<\/p>\n If your average CTR isn\u2019t stacking up to industry averages, don\u2019t fret! Follow these comprehensive tips to help get your CTR and click volume back up to par.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t explain the sudden dip in click performance? Here are some of the common reasons to help identify the cause.<\/p>\n While the Quality Score metric shouldn\u2019t be considered the \u201cend all be all,\u201d this often under-looked metric may be a root cause of click volume decline.<\/p>\n Quality Score<\/a> measures these key components of your ad:<\/p>\n Google Ads shows you a relatively detailed view of each of these areas, so you\u2019re not left guessing what you should focus on optimizing.<\/p>\n Quality Score matters because it directly impacts how often your ads are eligible to show. Not only that, but it also affects how much you\u2019re paying per click.<\/p>\n Solution:<\/strong> Optimize Quality Score based on the \u201cgrades\u201d Google gives you for your keywords.<\/p>\n Some of these fixes may be easier to implement (such as new ad copy), but if you need to optimize your landing page, that may take time and other resources.<\/p>\n A thorough guide to optimizing Quality Score can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your CTR has remained steady but is seeing click volume decrease, the main issue is this: decreased impressions.<\/p>\n There can be multiple factors to a sudden decrease in impressions, but here are the most common:<\/p>\n Seasonality<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have a seasonal product<\/a>, you\u2019re naturally going to have dips and peaks in demand.<\/p>\n If searches go down for your particular industry, your keywords\u2019 impressions will also decrease.<\/p>\n Updated Bidding Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve recently modified your bidding strategy, there could be a misalignment between your daily budget vs. your target ROAS\/CPA\/CPC goal.<\/p>\n Any significant gaps in expectations here can cause a stark decline in impressions.<\/p>\n For example, if you set your bidding to a $50 CPA goal for competitive keywords but typically see a $150 CPA, this will cause almost instant volatility in impressions.<\/p>\n The way CPA and ROAS strategies work is to throttle impressions to users who are not likely to convert to your goal.<\/p>\n New Negative Keywords<\/strong><\/p>\n Like many advertisers, you\u2019ve had to tighten up your negative keywords. This is due to Google loosening restrictions on keyword match types.<\/p>\n However, you may have accidentally restricted too much on negative keywords. This can result in lost impressions because of conflicting negatives.<\/p>\n So, what can you do to combat low impressions?<\/p>\n Solution: <\/strong>Aside from any seasonality issues, review your current Bidding Strategies and ensure the targets are aligned (and realistic) to your performance goals.<\/p>\n Additionally, comb through your negative keyword lists to identify any conflicts that are hindering your ad from showing.<\/p>\n So you\u2019ve written shiny new ad copy and implemented them across the board. You\u2019re excited to see your improved ad copy outperform your previous ads.<\/p>\n But, you\u2019ve discovered the opposite happens, and your click volume plummets.<\/p>\n What gives?<\/p>\n Essentially, any time you make an update to your campaigns, and especially ad copy, you\u2019ve set your campaign back into learning mode. During this time, you may expect to see volatility in performance. You may see CTR drop while Google\u2019s algorithm learns what resonates best with users.<\/p>\n Obviously, this is not ideal for any advertiser. You\u2019ve spent the time to perfect a new copy and are watching it perform worse. So, what can we learn from this scenario?<\/p>\n Solution:<\/strong> A\/B test<\/a> your new ads before pausing all \u201cold\u201d ads. This can help reduce the inevitable performance volatility of pausing all old ads and replacing them with new ones.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure where to start with A\/B testing, find this helpful guide here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Competition isn\u2019t something that you can control. They may have a larger budget or more interesting ad copy than you. All of these items are out of your control.<\/p>\n What you can control is how you respond to competition.<\/p>\n Say your maximum CPC on a keyword is set to $5, but you notice a competitor is consistently showing above you. This most likely means that the competitor is outbidding you.<\/p>\n Solution:<\/strong> If you have the budget capacity, a simple remedy would be to be more aggressive in your bidding strategy. This can help increase impression and click volume as you show up more often.<\/p>\nWhat Is CTR?<\/h2>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-reasons-click-volume-decreases-what-to-do-via-sejournal-brookeosmundson.jpg\")
Screenshot from Instapage.com, August 2022<\/em><\/span><\/div>\nWhy Is My Click Volume Decreasing?<\/h2>\n
1. Did Your Quality Score Recently Drop?<\/h3>\n
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![\"4](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-reasons-click-volume-decreases-what-to-do-via-sejournal-brookeosmundson-1.jpg\")
Screenshot from a Google Ads report, August 2022<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n2. Low Impressions<\/h3>\n
3. New Ads<\/h3>\n
4. Your Competitors Outbid You<\/h3>\n