Low Click Through Rates Being Attributed To Interest-Based Ads!

I don't seem to be the only Adsense Publisher that is experiencing a low click-through-rate with their Google Adsense sites! I have been browsing some adsense-related boards and there have been many people posting about experiencing the same thing as well.

The low CTR seems to be attributed to Adsense providing interest-based ads. What this means is that - for example - if someone has just visited a site about flowers and then visits your site which is about cars, then the ads that they see will be about flowers and NOT what your site is about which is cars. In other words the google adsense ads that will be appearing on your car-related site will be more about flowers than about cars! Of course this will seriously decrease the number of potential clicks that your site may get.

You would think that interest-based ads would provide more in potential clicks because the ads are being based on the interest of the site visitor but it doesn't seem to be working out that way - at least not for the Adsense publishers who's postings I have seen - including mine!

There also doesn't seem to be a way to opt out of interest-based ads for the ads that are appearing on one's site.

There has also been talk of "ad blindness" meaning that visitors to Google Adsense ad sites are becoming more and more "blind" to the adsense ads that are appearing - meaning that they are not clicking on the ads.

I'm sure that there has got to be some kind of solution to this! I just haven't found out what it is yet - LOL!