The Alternative Press

How many clickthroughs did my ad receive this month?  How about this week?  How about today?  How about right this second?

I probably hear these questions several times every day.  It’s the only thing some advertisers talk about.  I didn’t understand why until I met with an online ad salesperson who was pitching me on having TheAlternativePress.com advertise.

All she talked with me about was clickthroughs – how important they are, that they are key to ROI (return on investment) for online advertising etc.  She was literally obsessed with clickthroughs.

And then I realized why there is this obsession with clickthroughs.  It’s because that’s how most online advertisers make their money - - businesses pay based on clickthroughs.  Facebook, Google ad words, Yellowbook…the list goes on and on but all of these behemoths make most of their revenue only if someone clicks on an ad.

And all of these companies have full-time salespeople selling clickthroughs, who are also compensated in large part based on how many businesses they are able to convince to pay for clickthroughs. 

And guess what? 

Clickthroughs are virtually meaningless. 

Study after study demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of people who click on an ad do not buy that product or service.  In fact, people who see an ad are much more likely to buy that product or service that someone who clicks on an ad.  For more information, read http://www.adrants.com/2012/04/yet-another-study-downgrades-importance.php

Furthermore, online ads resonate with customers regardless of whether the customer clicks on the ad. Read: http://www.inbrevard.com/advertise/affect-of-impressions.html

So what does matter when it comes to online advertising? 

First and foremost, as discussed in my first column, online content!  Read more here.

Second, viewable impressions, which is a fancy way of saying having your ad seen online as many times as possible by as many different people as possible.

Third, branding your business online through ads that compliment your logo, your website, and your business’s colors. 

And finally, you need to have a visually appealing website that works so that when someone does “click” on an ad to get more information, it is as if they walked into your bricks and mortar location.

The bottom line is the almighty clickthrough is not all that mighty and business owners would best be served by marketing themselves online through online content coupled with coordinated ads that are viewed many times by many potential customers.

For more information, click here.