Microsoft Monetize - Ways to improve Click-Through Rate (CTR) performance
You can always adjust your line item setup to improve its CTR performance, even after setting a CTR optimization goal.
Consider the following CTR improvement options when editing your line item:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Add a CTR optimization goal to your line item, and set Goal Priority to Performance. | If you haven't already done so, adding a CTR optimization goal when creating or editing a line item ensures that your line item prioritizes delivery on high-performing CTR inventory. Simultaneously, adding a CTR goal reduces or otherwise eliminates delivery to low-performing CTR inventory. Changing your line item Goal Priority to Performance should also further improve CTR performance. Note: There is always a chance that delivery will be affected as inventory is assessed and potentially discarded, but if you feel as though you have a large enough inventory and impression pool to transact on, then adding a CTR optimization goal shouldn't create underdelivery issues for you. For more information about setting a CTR optimization goal, see Set Up Line Item Optimization. |
| Set your line item Creative Rotation to Auto-optimize Creative weight. | If you select Auto-optimize creative weight as your Creative Rotation option, your line item will prioritize serving creatives that have better CTR performance and reduce serving creatives that have lower CTR performance. For more information on creative rotation, see Creative Rotation (ALI). |
| Remove creatives with low CTRs from your line item. | Some of your line item's associated creatives may have lower-than-desired CTR performance, so it may be best to remove those with low CTRs from your line item so that only the higher-performing creatives are being served. To analyze your creatives' CTR performance, click Creative in the nav bar. This directs you to the Creatives screen, where you can view the CTR% for any of your advertiser's or line item's creatives. |
| Use blocklists to stop targeting domains with low CTRs. | You can improve CTR performance by identifying low-performing CTR domains, creatives, and placements through the Advertiser Analytics Report and Advertiser Site Domain Performance Report. Then, you can add them to a blocklist. This method ensures that you only serve on higher-performing CTR inventory. This method can reduce delivery if you add too much inventory to the blocklist. Therefore, it's best to add the lowest-performing CTR inventory to the blocklist, while also being conservative in adding closer-to-average CTR inventory. For more information on using blocklists, see Inventory Targeting (ALI). |
| Use programmable split targeting to block placements with low CTRs. | CTR performance for a publisher's inventory can vary from placement to placement. To specifically target higher-performing inventory placements, you can add programmable splits to your line item and configure them to block placements. For more information on creating and customizing programmable splits, see Configure a Programmable Split. |
| Move domains with high-performing CTRs to an allowlist. | You can improve CTR performance by identifying high-performing CTR domains, creatives, and placements through the Advertiser Analytics Report and Advertiser Site Domain Performance Report. Then, you can add them to an allowlist. This method ensures that you only deliver on high-performing CTR inventory. However, it can reduce delivery if you don't add much inventory to the allowlist. So it's best to include the largest amount of inventory that you feel comfortable with. For more information on using allowlists, see Set Up Line Item Inventory and Brand Safety. |
| Increase your line item's bid prices. | Increasing your line item's bid prices lets you access higher-performing CTR inventory. |