Content Network – Part 5 – Metrics that Matter (and those that don’t)
When advertising on the content network, it is important to keep in mind what metrics are important to track, and which are not. Since the Content Network operates differently than Search, some of the metric that are SO important on Search really don’t make much of a difference on the Content Network.
Here are the metrics that DO matter:
- Cost Per Conversion (Ideally, this should be a lot lower than your cost on Search)
- Cost Per Click
Here are those that DON’T matter:
- Conversion Rate
- Click Through Rate (CTR)
You will definitely find that the CTR of the Content Network is WAY lower than on search, and the volume of impressions is a lot more. Google does not consider the CTR of the content network to determine your Quality Score and Rank as they do on Search. Rather, your ad’s position is based on your bid and click history.
Actionable Tip: Measure your ROI by monitoring your Cost Per Conversion and Adjusting the maximum bid accordingly. Be sure to create ad copy that is interesting and sure-to-be-clicked-on, which will cause Google to show your ad higher and in more places. Also, adjust your Keyword list to better match the context of the ad, so your ad ends up showing on relevant sites.