Ways to increase the CTR of links

Some time ago we wrote about how to directly increase the number of clicks on links in search results. This post talked about tips for getting more search engine clicks.

All links. And those that are posted on websites, in advertising campaigns, on social networks and in mailing lists.

Of course, each of these areas has its own characteristics and is quite different from each other, but there are some general principles that allow us to present some general tips for increasing the CTR of links.

So let's find out what you need to know and what practices you should follow on a daily basis to make sure the links you post get a response. It is worth noting that the following tips are very easy to learn and apply in the future.

Increasing the CTR of links - 8 general tips

Link click-through is trust. Users won't start clicking on every link they come across and see. Before they take such an action, they must first trust the link and be sure that when they click, they will receive a valuable page, content, or desired action. Otherwise, the link will be ignored.

First of all, how the link presents itself plays an important role here. The visual aspect, as in most areas of life, is very important. So let's see how you can build link trust.

1. Content and its word

First of all, a link is a content. Before a user clicks on a link, they first read it. Here is the first and most important part of the link.

If it looks more or less like this:

http://sitename.com/przepisy/post?id=43a&frytki+ketchup

... then it's hard to expect many clicks since it is not attractive to recipients. Apparently, some separate phrases were included in it, but in general, most of it remains a guess.

Of course, the link can be more "unpleasant", for example, contain more special characters:

http://sitename.com/89sd/3kos81ks=f#id2

linking organization can encourage the user to make a click.

Ultimately, an attractive link fits into this pattern:

http://sitename.com/kypit-sobaky

That is, a clear link that is easy to read and allows you to guess what content or page will appear when you click on it.

2. Brand name as a must

It's equally important to show the brand, or domain, first. This gives the user the opportunity to get acquainted with the main domain and thereby form its image. Popular link shortening tools cut off the entire brand name, effectively losing the opportunity to create an image. Says nothing to the user. In addition, this example shows how a brand name in a link address can create an image.I think most people can recognize a domain name and associate its meaning.

Of course, sometimes such tools are necessary, but in unreasonable cases it is not worth playing with these types of link enhancers. Brand visibility should come first.

3. Envelope around the link

The entire environment in which the link is placed contributes to the increase in the CTR of links in the first place. It is logical that such a concise letter is not very effective in terms of link click-through:

Hi X,

I have a special offer for you! See for yourself! [link].

This example needs no further explanation. We all know how low value it represents.

A completely different approach is to surround the link with relevant content, images or logos. Then, at least when receiving such a letter, the recipient will be able to read it and evaluate whether it is worth clicking on it or not.

This rule should be strictly adhered to. An empty and "dangling" link by itself will not attract recipients. You must always be careful about the other elements around which the link is placed. In the same way, the link was used at the beginning of the article, where it was introduced by the introductory word.

4. Visual representation

A link, of course, is not always text. It can also be a button or an image, which makes us more engaged in the first place. The image is processed faster by our brain and looks much more favorable than the read content. Therefore, it is worth keeping this obvious fact in mind to encourage your audience to click more and grab their attention.

5. Other domain endings

If you want to stand out from the competition, you can use a different domain suffix. The standard and very common extension is, of course, ".ua". It should be understood that this does not mean that you should use this particular address. Currently, there are many options for choosing this angle, and there are a lot of options for matching a domain and presenting it in a different light.

Examples:

domain.ooo

domain.xyz

domain.fit

domain.news

domain.car

domain.cooking

domain.fashion

domain.salon

... and much, much more

So individual - it's still an insignificant percentage of sites viewed, although perhaps this is some chance to attract the attention of others .

6. Social Influence

Link CTR can be boosted by weaving in social proof, which in itself inspires trust and thereby promotes click-through rates for nearby links.

For example, if you have a list of videos with user ratings, it makes sense that links with better ratings will have a higher CTR than links with lower ratings.

The same can be said, for example, about the See Offer style button. The link works best if it contains statistical data, such as how many years the company has been in existence or how many projects it has completed.

7. Keeping promises

No matter where the link is placed, try to be persuasive. However, make sure that the underlying content lives up to the promises it makes. Avoid exaggerated promises such as "this article contains everything you need to know about building your own car" if the linked article actually only contains general and basic advice.

Yes, its attractiveness can be increased, but users will end up disappointed after watching the content. They will leave the site quickly, increasing bounce rates and undermining hard-earned trust for the future.

Another example can be weighed in this post, more specifically in the paragraph above. The phrase "failure rate" is a related one, so there should eventually be an article addressing exactly that aspect. Of course, this is also the case. If we deliberately link to completely different content there (such as an advertisement for a product), just to "gain" views on the relevant page, our credibility will be tested.

8. Established principles - hyphen

Finally, something banal and banal. It's a good idea to separate individual words with a hyphen each time, rather than writing them on a line. This will make the link more readable. In addition, the first letters of words may be capitalized, although this is not a common practice.

What are the methods for increasing the CTR of links?

As you can see, increasing the CTR of links is a simple matter if you approach the topic as a whole.

You only need to follow a few simple and easy to remember rules to ensure that, above all, the trust in the link is up to par.

Don't forget to avoid special characters, create a nice wrapper around the link and include content that matches the promise and you'll be fine.