If you have a Google Ad Grant account, you might be aware of the ever-changing Google Grant Policy. While the policy is generally beneficial for Grant accounts, there is one policy in particular that stands out from the rest – the 5% CTR minimum.
All Google Ad Grants accounts must maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR) each month (at the account level, not necessarily each keyword). If the CTR requirement isn’t met for 2 consecutive months, your account will be deactivated.
Why the 5% CTR minimum is a big deal
- According to HubSpot, the average CTR for a search ad across all industries is 1.91%. Therefore, setting a minimum 5% CTR is super ambitious, especially when accounts have a hard time achieving it in the first place.
- A suspension is one of the worst things that can happen to your account. Not only will your ads stop running, but it may take up to a month to become reactivated. (Just think about all the traffic you could be losing in that time span!)
While it’s natural to panic and worry about where to start, we at ConnectAd have worked diligently to navigate the new policy and come up with effective solutions. As a matter of fact, we’ve made sure that all of our clients surpass the 5% CTR policy.
Here’s what you can do about it
- In your Google Ad account, take last month’s data and order your keywords from highest to lowest CTR. Pause any keywords with high impressions and little to no clicks. Look to the very bottom row called “Total: Filtered Keywords” to make sure it is above 5% CTR. The “Total: Filtered Keywords” row will give you data without the keywords you have just paused.
- Consider adding negative keywords to your campaigns. Oftentimes, ads are shown to audiences that are searching for something that is unrelated to your organization. This generates high impressions and low clicks, which results in a low CTR.
And if you’ve already tried the above steps, try these additional ones.
1. Choose keywords specific to your organization because generic keywords will cause your ads to be shown to a general audience. This will generate a high number of impressions but it’s possible that only a fraction may click on your ad based on how relevant it was to them.
2. Take a look at your ad text and ask yourself: “Is this compelling copy?” “Does the ad text accurately describe what my product/service is about?” “Would I personally click on this ad?” If the answer is no to any of these questions – change up your ad text! Analyze the ads that are not doing well and revise the copy.
3. Check your location preferences and make sure that the area in which your organization operates and services is the same location that your ads are targeting. Imagine showing your ads in Canada if you only operate in the U.S. Yikes!
We’re confident that these tips and tricks will get you to the 5% CTR in no time!
