Get more clickthroughs in Google Adwords using nice urls
I have been performing tests for 6+ months now to help me decide which url to show in ads.
My test have roughly consisted of:
- Some hundred thousand (+) search impressions.
- Some hundred thousand (+) content impressions.
- Different campaigns for all products and content / search.
- Split tested low-performing and high-performing ads in all campaigns.
- All ads ran on Google Adwords PPC system.
- All ads were text based, i.e. no images, videos etc.
- All ads were shown on Google search and networks.
The urls I have split tested against each other are:
- www.microsys.dk vs www.microsystools.com
- www.microsys.dk vs www.microsys.eu
The results? They have been clear and consistent across all tests. www.microsys.dk beats both alternatives with roughly 20% higher CTR in average. A side-by-side split test example:
- Ad showing normal url: 2.00% CTR
- Ad showing good looking url: 2.40% CTR
While this may not seem of much, it is an easy way to improve your ad quality across all your campaigns and adgroups. Worth it if you have many campaigns and ads running through Google Adwords / pay per click (PPC) .
It is slightly odd that www.microsys.dk beats www.microsys.eu, but I suspect it is related to .eu domain names still being relatively new.
Now I have just one problem left… Should I change my primary domain to www.microsys.dk ? 
Comments
Comment from hani
Time: June 17, 2007, 8:47 am
hello,
I want to have a site map for my site and I want introduce my site to alot of search engins ,
would you you mind please helping me with my problems?
thank you!
Comment from Thomas Schulz
Time: June 18, 2007, 12:55 am
Hi Hani, Perhaps you should post your comment in: http://www.microsystools.com/blogs/2007/05/09/a1-sitemap-generator-advantages/
And with some more details of what your problem is? Have you tried using A1 Sitemap Generator? What part is causing problems? You can also email me directly, see: http://www.microsystools.com/home/contact.php
Pingback from Increasing CTR Click-Through Rate | Keyword Marketing Research
Time: February 7, 2008, 11:55 am
[...] would otherwise not get. There are many click through studies on the net how to increase CTR. One click through study tested importance of difference between two else seemingly similar display [...]
Pingback from ImpactWatch » Blog Archive » Click-Through Rates are Just Bumps on the Head
Time: March 21, 2008, 6:07 pm
[...] bumps on a noggin, but it still does not measure much. Despite some extensive research using Google and disclosure data from AOL, there is a common belief that CTRs may not measure what companies [...]
Comment from Shilpa
Time: May 22, 2008, 8:23 am
hi …
I am right now working on meta tags(Title,keywords,descriptions) . Just need to know about the keyword density in all 3 + in content . And also some useful tips regarding this.
Comment from Thomas Schulz
Time: May 22, 2008, 6:47 pm
Shilpa, I suggest you try A1 Keyword Research and check this article about keyword density.
Comment from Levi Page
Time: June 2, 2008, 8:03 pm
I would recommend buying the other domain then doing a 301 redirect to your .dk domian. This way you don’t loose any benefits from existing inbound links.
Pingback from Clicksharp Marketing » Meta Description Tag: SEO’s dark horse money tree: Small Business Web SEO, SEM: New York, NY (Search Engine Optimization NYC)
Time: June 29, 2008, 9:43 pm
[...] Sometimes, the search engine may take a look at the keyword queried, and if it doesn’t show up in your Meta Description but it is shown somewhere on the page itself, it might get substitute in the two lines of text under the title. Don’t fret — they’re doing you a favor. (It’s well documented that matching queried keywords to identical keywords in the ad copy drive higher click-through.) [...]
Comment from Kenneth
Time: September 10, 2008, 10:44 am
Interesting study. I would love to see some more research to back up this. I might do some myself in the near future.
a 0.40% increase is not much if you spent a small amount, but if you spent thousands everyday with Adwords alone those 0.40% would make a major difference.
Pingback from 32 Tips to Increase Your Google AdWords Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Time: September 9, 2009, 10:27 am
[...] Get more clickthroughs in Google Adwords using nice urls – Microsys Blog [...]
Comment from ali
Time: November 3, 2009, 6:07 am
well nice information,right now i am working on how to increase my traffic,i get most of the traffic from refering sites,i want to get from search engines,what the top most thing i should do to get immidiate effect.
Thanks
Post new comments in forum
Discuss articles and get help at Web Help Forums.
Comment from Thomas Lojmann
Time: February 24, 2007, 9:32 pm
Your data confirms my experience as well. Urls are part of your ad copy. Try experiment with displaying urls such as microsys.dk/sitemaps and similar