D2D Advertising and Search

If you are advertising to developers in developer-to-developer (D2D) communities, you may overcome their propensity to use ad blockers. But how can you use ads in D2D community websites and newsletters to influence search behavior? Fortunately, developer habits are in your favor.

Web Search May Affect Your CTR

So, what if your ad click rate is low? You’ve placed a link in a D2D newsletter, and a static ad on the D2D community website your audience loves. Don’t despair.

According to our developer interviews, many developers will view an ad, but won’t click on it.

According to our developer interviews, many developers will view an ad, but won’t click on it. Share on X

Why? According to Evans Data Corporation, the developers they surveyed in 2019 don’t like to click on tracking links. So, when tracking an ad campaign, the click-through rate (CTR) is not always telling the full story. This is more important than metrics.

Sure, check your website/landing page visits and keyword search data to get a better handle on ad engagement. But you can be even more proactive. We recommend you use ads strategically to influence web browser searches.

Name That Offer

There’s more to getting CTR than a great ad. It’s what the ad offers. Not just the content, but the name. Create a unique name for the offers touted in your ad campaign so that when your audience leaves your ad to punch something into a web browser, your offer is the first to come up.

That means spending a little time doing some web browser searches yourself to see what pops up when you search your ad offer. Pay particular attention to returned search results that include your competitors, and try and differentiate. (Of course, your message has to make sense.)

Offer Clickable Content

Sure, they may not click. But you have to make developers want to so they’ll take that extra step and run your ad language through a web browser. Stick to new technologies, new platforms, or new developer tools. Other types of captivating content? Tutorials, tutorials, tutorials.

Keeping Your Click-Cool

It’s definitely not “the end of the world” if your CTR isn’t where you want it to be. By taking developer habits into account, you can use your D2D advertising campaign to influence web browser search. For more details on how to create successful advertising campaigns in D2D communities, check out our ebook, “D2D Marketing: An Advertising Guide.”