What Is The Average Google Click Through Rate By Position

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What is the Average Google Click-Through Rate by Position

By Ron Robbins7 min readExplore Services

Table of Contents

  • Understanding Google CTR
    • Average CTR by Position
    • Factors Influencing SEO Click-Through Rate
  • Why Improving and Increasing CTR Matters
  • Ways to Improve Your CTR
    • Use the Right Keywords
    • Avoid Unwanted Clicks With Negative Keywords
    • Focus Your Audience
    • Highlight Deals in Your Headline
    • Use Your Main Keyword in Display Paths
  • Engage More Audience With Us

Search engine optimization (SEO) is ever-changing, so understanding the average Google click-through rate (CTR) is crucial for marketers and website owners.

It is a vital metric that measures the percentage of users who click on a specific link among the total users who view a page, email, or advertisement.

SEO refers to the ratio of users who click on a particular search result compared to the total number of users who view the search engine results page (SERP).

click through rate

Understanding Google CTR

Google’s search engine results pages have become increasingly complex, featuring featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs, and paid advertisements.

These changes have significantly impacted organic click-through rates, making it essential for SEO professionals to stay informed about current trends and benchmarks.

Average CTR by Position

The SERP Ranking, or the position of your website in Google’s search results, plays a crucial role in determining your CTR.

As one might expect, higher positions generally correlate with higher CTRs. Here’s a breakdown of average CTRs by search position based on various industry studies:

  • 1st: 39.8%
  • 2nd: 18.17%
  • 3rd: 10.2%
  • 4th: 7.2%
  • 5th: 5.1%
  • 6th: 4.4%
  • 7th: 3.0%
  • 8th: 2.1%
  • 9th: 1.9%
  • 10th: 1.6%

It’s important to note that these figures are averages and can vary significantly depending on industry, search intent, and SERP features.

Factors Influencing SEO Click-Through Rate

Several factors can influence your website’s CTR in Google search results:

Search Intent

The user’s reason for searching plays a significant role in CTR. Informational queries have lower CTRs compared to transactional or navigational queries.

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Compelling and relevant title tags and meta descriptions can significantly improve your CTR and drive more traffic.

Rich Snippets

Implementing schema markup to display rich snippets (such as star ratings, prices, or review counts) can make your listing stand out and increase CTR.

Brand Recognition

Well-known brands often enjoy higher CTRs due to user familiarity, trust, and established brand recognition.

SERP Features

The presence of features like featured snippets, knowledge panels, or local packs can impact organic SEO click-through rates.

Device Type

CTRs can vary between desktop and mobile searches, with mobile often showing different user behavior patterns.

Query Type

Long-tail keywords often have higher CTRs compared to short, generic queries, especially in competitive markets.

Why Improving and Increasing CTR Matters

Many beginners fall into the trap of focusing too much on the “search engine” aspect of SEO or SEM. The critical thing to remember is who is using the search engine. These people make or break your click-through rate for SEO.

Regardless of your niche or industry, your audience comprises human beings who engage with their surroundings. Search engines are just tools to bridge the gap between you and a potential customer or client thousands of miles away.

If your content is not captivating, it will impact your CTR.

Improving your CTR can be done in several ways. One is to consider your copy. Is your message clear? Are you using a call to action? Another method is to test your way to success. Copy that is engaging with one audience might be boring for another.

Targeting your audience should be the top priority to achieve reasonable SEO click-through rates. To do that, you need to know your audience inside and out so that you can provide quick, thorough answers to improve your CTR.

Ways to Improve Your CTR

Now that we understand what CTR means and how it affects your content, let’s talk about getting a good one. There are a few ways to do this, starting with how you choose your target audience.

Use the Right Keywords

You must first pick the right words. Focus on three types for more clicks:

Buy-ready words

Use words like “best CRM” or “stainless steel dishwasher” when people are ready to buy. Avoid words like “what is a CRM” to save money and get a better click-through rate formula.

Brand words

Target your brand and partner or competitor brands. People often search for these when they’re ready to buy.

Local words

“Denver personal trainer” gets lots of clicks because local searches often mean people are ready to buy.

Prioritizing keyword SEO efforts is crucial, especially with limited resources. For highly competitive keywords, aiming for top rankings might be unrealistic.

Analyzing average CTR by SERP position can help estimate the potential traffic increase with improved rankings.

Leveraging query data from Google Search Console and Search Console Insights enables you to identify keywords with the most significant potential for improvement. This analysis helps prioritize your SEO efforts and allocate resources effectively.

Advanced Web Ranking’s click-through rate for SEO study provides valuable data on average CTRs by SERP position, allowing you to estimate the potential traffic uplift with improved rankings.

This data-driven approach can justify the time and resources invested in keyword SEO, ensuring a more strategic and efficient optimization process.

The Case of Branded Keywords

CTR for branded keywords is significantly higher than for non-branded keywords, especially for top search results. It is partly because non-branded searches often trigger more competition, including paid ads that appear above organic results.

A global analysis of SEO click-through rates for branded and non-branded keywords across all devices highlights this disparity. Branded keywords, identified by the presence of the domain name in the search query, consistently outperform non-branded ones.

The data for June 2024 underscores the importance of securing top rankings, with organic CTRs as high as 33.69% for branded keywords and 24.76% for non-branded keywords in the first position.

click through rate

Source: Advanced Web Ranking

These rates decrease to 9% and 8% for the third position, respectively, and plummet to less than 1% for positions 11 and below. If a search term predominantly appears on a specific device, marketers should investigate device-specific trends to optimize their strategies.

General Long-Tail Keyphrases

Generic product searches (1-2 words) typically see lower clickthrough rates than longer, more specific long-tail searches (4+ words). This trend is consistent across search result positions, with long-tail terms consistently outperforming generic ones.

This scenario is likely because long-tail searches indicate users further down the sales funnel, making them more discerning. Additionally, niche searches need more competition from both organic and paid results.

Avoid Unwanted Clicks With Negative Keywords

It’s important to use negative keywords to control your CTRs. You tell Google not to show your ad for negative keywords.

If you sell new cell phones, mark “refurbished” or “used” as negative keywords. This step ensures your ad won’t appear for people who won’t click on it.

Focus Your Audience

If you’re not using search or keyword-targeted content to measure average click-through rate, or even if you are, consider refining your audience. Narrowing down to specific criteria helps you tailor your ad message, boosting your CTRs even if you get fewer clicks overall.

Highlight Deals in Your Headline

People adore special offers, like discounts and free shipping. Instead of saving them for the description, feature them in your content headlines. The headline is often the first thing searchers read, and numbers in headlines tend to do well.

Words like “free” also catch attention, making your offer stand out. It’s like pushing all the elevator buttons at once — irresistible!

Use Your Main Keyword in Display Paths

Include your main keyword in the Google Ads display paths for better click-through rates. These keywords are found after the slash in your destination URL. While optional, it’s highly recommended that you treat display paths as part of your ad copy and incorporate your keyword.

They can convey value or assure viewers that you offer what they seek, enhancing your ad’s effectiveness.

click through rate

Engage More Audience With Us

Ready to boost your CTR and supercharge your online presence? Contact Clicta Digital today! Our expert team specializes in crafting targeted strategies to enhance your CTR, ensuring more clicks and better results.

Let us optimize your online performance, attract the right audience, and elevate your click-through rate. Don’t miss out on potential customers — reach out to us now and take the first step towards a more successful online presence!

Ronald Robbins, Ron Robbins

About the Author

Ronald Robbins is CEO of Clicta Digital, a multi-award-winning, full-service marketing agency blending AI insights with human creativity to help businesses grow. Since founding the marketing agency in 2017, he has helped brands increase visibility, build trust, and drive measurable results. Ronald is passionate about redefining digital marketing in the age of AI by putting authenticity and transparency at the center of every strategy.

Explore Clicta Digital’s solutions or see our industry awards and recognitions.

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