The following graphic from Accuracast shows click through rates for paid positions 1 through 10.
Google Click Through Rates
CTR drops significantly from the first to third ad positions while click through rates at ad positions four through ten drop considerably less.
How can this data be used to evaluate the impact of raising or lowering an average ad position in a Google Adwords campaign?
Paid search ads with the search term in the ad have been proven to receive higher click through rates (CTR) over search engine ads without the searched for term embedded in them.
From the Microsoft Adcenter blog:
“With adCenter, the easiest way to include the search term is through {keyword} insertion. This function allows you to drop the term from the search box straight into your ad.”
If inserting the keyword will likely take an ad over its 25 character limit for titles or the 70 character limit for descriptions – use default text in the ad.
Default text is then used in advertiser’s ads whenever their ads would otherwise exceed character limits.
If an ad title is “30% off all {keyword} ” and one of the {keyword} variables is “Chrysanthemums,” the resulting ad title, “30% off all Chrysanthemums,” would exceed the character limit for ad titles and as a result, the ad would not be displayed.
However, by using default text in the ad title, advertisers can keep their ad text within the allowable character limit. If the ad title is “30% off all {keyword:Flowers} ” and someone searches by using the keyword “Chrysanthemums,” the ad title would be displayed as “30% off all Flowers”.
Adcenter Dynamic Keyword Insertion
Use dynamic keyword insertion in conjuction with default text to increase ad relevance and increase paid search advertising click through rates.
Is there a particular reason why the Microsoft adCenter doesn’t provide a cost per conversion column for its advertisers?
Microsoft adCenter Cost Per Conversion
The Microsoft adCenter dashboard displays ad group name, ad group start date, ad group end date, status, spend, impressions, clicks, ctr %, average position, conversions, average cpc and negative keywords.
adCenter data does show number of conversions – just not their cost. This unnecessarily creates an extra level of interpretation and work for advertisers.
Why?
If an advertiser wants to manage and understand their advertising campaign’s effectiveness through cost per conversion data – Microsoft through its omission of this metric – leaves advertisers to make their own calculations… or not.
Is this a lack of transparency in Microsoft’s adCenter?
If it is, Microsoft’s not providing its advertisers with acquisition cost data makes calculating their return on investment more difficult.
Both Google and Yahoo supply this type of data.
Surely this is just an oversight on Microsoft’s part.
If it is an oversight, adding cost per conversion data in the Microsoft adCenter dashboard would help Microsoft’s advertisers understand more about their campaigns acquisition costs and in turn their return on investment from advertising with Microsoft.
Surely providing this data in column form would be in the best interest of both Microsoft and its advertisers.
Search Marketing Communications 
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