How to Improve CTR Rates on a Blog

1. Post interesting and valuable content on your blog often to build authority and trust with your readers. As your reputation increases, you will find that a recommendation from you may make your readers more inclined to click the advertisements that your blog displays. Readers who dislike your blog's content or believe that your blog exists for no reason except to display advertisements are unlikely to return.
2. Advertise products relevant to the content of your blog. If you blog about fashion trends, for example, products such as clothing and cosmetics are probably more likely to catch readers' attention than computer hardware. If you have difficulty selecting relevant merchants to partner with as an affiliate, consider joining an advertising network instead. Advertising networks, such as Google's AdSense program, scan the content of your blog to determine automatically the types of advertisements that your readers will find most relevant.

3. Change the locations and colors of the advertisements you display. Many blog management systems have sidebar widgets that make displaying advertisements a simple process. Studies from advertisers such as Google have shown that few readers pay attention to advertisements displayed in a website's right sidebar. An advertisement typically receives the most attention when it is close to the primary content on the page, because that is where readers are certain to look. If you use text advertisements, change the font and color to match the appearance of your blog.
4. Select different shapes for the advertisements you display. For example, if you have tried the 468-by-60 pixel Banner shape below the title of your blog posts and experienced a poor CTR, try the 728-by-90 Leaderboard shape in the header area of the blog instead. Because there is no single rule governing the effectiveness of advertisement shapes and locations, experiment with many combinations to find the best fit for your blog.
5. Change the layout of your blog. Many blog management engines such as WordPress have themes you can download and install to change the appearance of the blog without altering its content. Some layouts are better optimized than others for displaying advertisements. If your CTR does not increase, revert to the previous theme or try another one.