Keyword research data reveals the SEO CTR rewards for top of SERP rankings in Google. Inform your SEO marketing strategy with the latest trends
You often hear company owners saying “I want to rank top” for their target keywords. Although this may be an unrealistic hope, they’re right to say this since they realize that claiming the top position in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) drives up your SEO click-through rate CTR like nothing else.
2022 data from firstpage.com demonstrates that ranking #1 generates a typical CTR of 39.6%. That's more than double the CTR for 2nd position, 18.4%, and nearly 4x the CTR for 3rd position, 10.1%.
Savvy marketers understand that establishing a strong organic ranking for your content runs rings around CTRs for paid ads! So, if you're not already, 2021 is the right time to invest in your organic marketing strategy.
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SERP layouts Vs Safeguarding your organic clickthrough rates
We've all noticed the changing layouts seamlessly integrating into our search journeys. with zero-click searches are becoming increasingly common mobile. But what does this mean for our organic reach in 2022? It seems that, for search engine marketers, 'search volume alone isn’t the decisive figure' anymore.
In fact, snippets and panels in 'position zero' take up valuable real estate on the SERP, often at the cost of organic entries beneath. In the chart below, by Sistrix, we can see that when a SERP includes a featured snippet, the SEO CTR for position one drops by an average of 5.3%.
![SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (3)](https://i0.wp.com/www.smartinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screenshot-2020-08-19-at-16.21.33.png "SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (3)")
If you are currently defending a top-ranked organic keyword, or would like to increase your reach, why not check to see if there is a featured snippet in the SERP? And while you're at it, why not find out how to win SERP features for your site too?
![SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (4)](https://i0.wp.com/www.smartinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screenshot-2020-08-19-at-16.25.27-550x153.png "SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (4)")
Purely organic keyword strategy
That's not to say that purely organic results aren't still your bread and butter. In fact, even in the midst of all these user-friendly innovations, it is still the case that 'the more you work into the long-tail, the greater the proportion of purely organic SERPs'.
Any SEO worth their salt will tell you it's long-tail keyword territory where you can make the biggest incremental gains - we shall be looking into the numbers that still back up this theory in 2022 later in the blog.
So, for your reference (and reassurance), here is the handy table which Sixtrix has produced demonstrating the SEO CTR for a purely organic SERP in blue against the average (across many different formats of SERP).
![SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (5)](https://i0.wp.com/www.smartinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screenshot-2020-08-19-at-16.17.59.png "SEO CTR stats to inform your 2022 SEO strategy [SERP trends] (5)")
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Keyword SEO CTR uplift - average rankings by SERP position
Depending on your resources, there may be keywords where realistically you aren't competing for the top spot and it's good to acknowledge that - particularly for the more generic terms where competition can get quite fierce.
In this case, studying average clickthrough rates by SERP position is useful since you can estimate uplift in visits with improved visibility rankings. Using the query data from Google Search Console and Search Console Insights, will enable you to perform a gap analysis for which keywords to improve in SEO. This exercise will help you prioritize a mammoth task and can also be handy to justify time and resources dedicated to keyword uplift.
Download our Business Resource – SEO gap analysis Excel spreadsheet
This spreadsheet will show you how to create a comprehensive target keyword report and review performance to identify new SEO and content marketing strategies.
Access the SEO gap analysis Excel spreadsheet
The best open source for this data today is the Advanced Web Ranking organic CTR research which we share here, so you can check out the different CTR analysis it gives.
This data is from US traffic on all devices in December 2021. We will look at 3 examples of how CTR varies by position depending on different searcher intent.
1. SEO CTR for brand vs non-branded keyword intent
It's well known that clickthrough rates for branded or navigational keywords are higher - the blue curve shows this well. Here branded CTRs are selected by AWR when part of the string in the domain name appears in the search indicating a brand name.
This first chart depicts organic CTRs for branded vs non-branded keywords on all devices, globally.
The red, non-branded curve shows a steady decline in organic CTRs down the SERP. Generally, non-branded terms will have more competition with paid ads, which show up first on the SERP, which explains the lower organic CTR for non-branded.
The chart clearly shows the value of being in the top 3 keywords, with organic CTRs at 26% and 36% in the first position decreasing to 9% in the third position. In the lower positions of 11 onwards, CTR has fallen to a paltry sub 1%.
Marketers who have a search term that is monopolized by a particular device may also want to check for device-specific trends.
2. SEO CTR for generic vs long-tail terms
Generic searches for products are typically 1 or 2 words. Long-tail terms are 4 or more. This chart shows a similar pattern of decline to above, but, after the top spot, a higher level of CTR for more keywords.
In highly coveted SERP positions 2-5, the (4 word) long-tail SEO technique outranks generic (1 word) search by 3 to 6%. Typically this will be because long-tail searches occur further down the sales funnel so users are more discerning at this stage.
Plus, there is less competition (organic and paid) as searches get more niche. So, when considering the ever-evolving SERP layout features, SEOs in 2022 must recognize the benefit of targeting long-tail keywords from their gap analysis.
3. SEO CTR variation based on intent type
We see a similar decline here, but with slight variations according to intent type. For example, comparing brandeed and research intent, we can see the higher CTR of any intent in the first position for branded searches, whereas researchers seem to favour the 2nd position.
Moreover, commercially minded marketers understand that for targeting those with transactional intent - the best plan is to get your keyword in the top position and keep it there.
4. SEO CTR based on SERP features
We see a similar decline here, but the overiding trend is that SERPS with more features result in a lower CTR for the top organic ranks.
With this knowledge, mareters may want to shift the priorities of their keyword targeting activities, or adjust their content strategy to compete for for video/featured snippets/people also ask features.
Understanding and applying the latest SEO CTRs in your marketing strategy empowers marketers and managers to review and optimize their paid, owned, and earnt media strategies.
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FAQs
What are the SEO trends for 2022? ›
- Core Web Vitals. MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR. ...
- 2. ' People Also Ask' ...
- EAT. As search engine algorithms evolve, so does the quality of content. ...
- High-Quality Backlinks. ...
- Video. ...
- AI Content. ...
- Long-Form Content. ...
- Schema Markup.
A good CTR for organic searches is anything above 3%.
This means that out of 100 people who see a website's page in the SERPs, 3 people will click on it. Keep in mind that CTR can vary depending on a business's industry and what products or services they sell.
- Create quality content. ...
- Leverage ethical link-building practices. ...
- Optimize all images. ...
- Improve the user experience. ...
- Repurpose your content.
- Make a list of topics.
- Make a list of long-tail keywords based on these topics.
- Build pages for each topic.
- Set up a blog.
- Create a consistent blogging schedule.
- Create a link-building plan.
- Compress media files before uploading them to your site.
- Stay up-to-date on SEO news and best practices.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP) The page that a search engine returns after a user submits a search query. In addition to organic search results, search engine results pages (SERPs) usually include paid search and pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
What are the latest SEO trends? ›- Core Web Vitals.
- People also ask.
- Keyword clustering.
- AI-generated content.
- Content optimization software.
- Rich snippets.
- Long-form content.
- Good ol' boring SEO.
Clickthrough rate (CTR) shows how often people click your ad vs how many times it's shown. This metric is a good indicator of how well your keywords match your advertisement. The average CTR for Search Ads is 3.17%, while Google Display Ads have an average CTR of 0.46% across industries.
Which SERP result has the highest CTR? ›- Position 1 — 20.5%
- Position 2 — 13.32%
- Position 3 — 13.14%
- Position 4 — 8.98%
- Position 5 — 9.21%
- Position 6 — 6.73%
- Position 7 — 7.61%
- Position 8 — 6.92%
If your CTR for Google search ads is around 2% or higher, you can give yourself a pat on the back. That's generally considered a good CTR. However, depending on your industry, it might still be considered low. Some industries have higher average CTRs than others.
What makes a good SEO strategy? ›technical SEO: How well your content can be crawled and indexed. content: Having the most relevant and best answers to a prospect's question. on-site SEO: The optimization of your content and HTML. off-site SEO: Building authority to ensure Google stacks the deck in your favor.
What steps can businesses take to improve their SEO in 2022? ›
- Improve your page loading speed.
- Produce high quality content.
- Optimize your links.
- Optimize your site for mobile devices.
- Properly format your page.
- Encourage sharing on social media.
- Use keywords appropriately.
- Create clean, focused, and optimized URLs.
In short, SEO is crucial because it makes your website more visible, and that means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers. Check out the SEO tools you can use for optimal ranking.
What are the top three SEO strategies? ›- Step #1: Create a List of Keywords.
- Step #2: Analyze Google's First Page.
- Step #3: Create Something Different or Better.
- Step #4: Add a Hook.
- Step #5: Optimize For On-Page SEO.
- Step #6: Optimize For Search Intent.
- Step #7: Focus on Content Design.
- Step #8: Build Links to Your Page.
Yes, SEO is worth it—in 2022, in the future, in the past, and always. As long as websites and search engines exist, SEO is necessary. SEO 10 years from now will likely be very different from SEO today, but you'll always have to make sure your website is sending search engines the right signals so you can be found.
Is SEO still relevant in 2022? ›The fact that SEO works perfectly fine even in 2022 as a method of delivering improved commercial outcomes for business websites and their owners, combined with the need for ongoing research into what works, makes it still relevant as a digital marketing method, but even more so as a valuable service and a rewarding ...
What is SERP example? ›SERP features are elements that appear on Google's search engine results page that go beyond the traditional “10 blue links”. Common examples of SERP features include Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, video carousels and image packs.
How can I improve my SERP? ›- Use Original Images. Original images are always good when it comes to SEO. ...
- Use Long Tail Keywords. Long-tail keywords are a great way to up your search results. ...
- Quality Content. ...
- Get Social. ...
- Build Backlinks. ...
- Optimise Your Internal Links.
SERP is important because the higher a company's website ranks, the more searchers will click on the website. This is done several different ways, our Omaha SEO experts suggests using relevant keywords, meta-tags and descriptions and backlinking strategies.
How do you keep up with SEO trends? ›...
6. Mobile Optimization
- User larger fonts for better readability.
- Make sure your website is responsive.
- Avoid Flash.
- Avoid pop-ups.
- Create larger buttons to make them easy to click.
- Use light images to improve page speed.
Unlike other popular marketing channels, SEO does not work instantly. Most professionals expect to see results in as low as 2 months, but SEO can take as much as 12 months to work. While every company's SEO strategy differs, most businesses can expect to see considerable results in 6 to 12 months.
Is 5% a good CTR? ›
Here, click-through rates will vary depending on the type of newsletter, among other factors. B2B newsletters (such as the WordStream Performance Tip!) tend to have higher CTR than B2C newsletters. In either case, a good click-through rate for email is between 10% and 20%.
Is 8% a good CTR? ›Generally, a good CTR is any percentage that beats your channel average. So if 5% of people click your content, you should set a goal to reach 6%, 7%, 8%, and beyond. Also, according to YouTube, 50% of channels have a 2-10% CTR. That's another benchmark you can use to track your progress.
What is average CTR for Google Ads? ›What is the average click-through rate in Google Ads? The average click-through rate on Google Ads paid search ads is 4-6%. CTRs are going to be lower on the display network, which is why it's important to leverage enticing display creative.
What is a good CTR for a website? ›The CTR Equation
It's the rate at which your PPC ads are clicked. Basically, it's the percentage of people who click your ad (clicks) divided by the ones who view your ad (impressions). As far as what constitutes a good click through rate, the average is around 1.91% for search and 0.35% for display.
- Improve Your Domain Authority. Domain authority is a metric that Google used to use a few years ago to rate the reputability of a website. ...
- Get More Backlinks. ...
- Create Your Own Backlinks. ...
- Optimize Everything for the Right Keywords. ...
- Optimize Your Site. ...
- 61 Comments.
Click-Through Rate as a Ranking Factor: Our Verdict
Yes – because it is one metric you can use to understand whether your content is successful.
What is a good CTR? CTR shows how often users clicked on your ads. While a good CTR depends on several factors specific to your ad campaigns, the average CTR for search and display ads is 1.9%. For search ads specifically, the average CTR is 3.17% and for display ads, the average CTR is 0.46%.
How is CTR calculated? ›CTR is the number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown: clicks ÷ impressions = CTR. For example, if you had 5 clicks and 100 impressions, then your CTR would be 5%. Each of your ads, listings, and keywords have their own CTRs that you can see listed in your account.
What is a high CTR? ›As a metric, CTR tells you how relevant searchers are finding your ad to be. If you have a: High CTR, users are finding your ad to be highly relevant. Low CTR, users are finding your ad to be less relevant.
› blog › marketing-activiti... ›3 Marketing Activities to Increase Your Google SERP CTR
How CTR impacts SEO and how to improve the search snippet
SERP CTR – 25 Powerful Tips For Improving Click-Through Rate
Is SEO still relevant in 2022? ›
The fact that SEO works perfectly fine even in 2022 as a method of delivering improved commercial outcomes for business websites and their owners, combined with the need for ongoing research into what works, makes it still relevant as a digital marketing method, but even more so as a valuable service and a rewarding ...
Is SEO still a thing in 2022? ›SEO is not dead in 2022. SEO is still a very powerful digital marketing strategy. SEO will continue to change as Google updates its algorithm but that is to be expected. If you are considering SEO for your website now is a good time to get started.
What's the most searched thing on Google 2022? ›The winner of most popular keyword is Facebook, with over 1,102,800,000 searches per month. This is closely followed by YouTube, Amazon, and the weather, or "weather" for short.
Is SEO worth it in 2022? ›Yes, SEO is worth it—in 2022, in the future, in the past, and always. As long as websites and search engines exist, SEO is necessary. SEO 10 years from now will likely be very different from SEO today, but you'll always have to make sure your website is sending search engines the right signals so you can be found.
What's replacing SEO? ›Answer Engine Optimization to Replace Search Engine Optimization.
Is SEO really worth it? ›SEO is worthwhile if you have the right strategy in place and work with a partner that knows how to get results. About 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and the close rate of SEO leads is much higher than that of traditional marketing. So, SEO provides an impressive return on investment (ROI).
Why is SEO still important? ›In short, SEO is crucial because it makes your website more visible, and that means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers. Check out the SEO tools you can use for optimal ranking.
What is a SERP feature? ›A SERP feature is any result on a Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) that is not a traditional organic result. The most common SERP Features are: Rich Snippets which add a visual layer to an existing result (e.g., review stars for product ratings)
Why is SEO important statistics? ›Local SEO statistics
Local SEO is critical for businesses that serve customers in their local area. Improving your local search optimization can help people find your business. If your business is not optimized to capture some of this search traffic, you'll miss out on a significant amount of potential revenue.
Unlike other popular marketing channels, SEO does not work instantly. Most professionals expect to see results in as low as 2 months, but SEO can take as much as 12 months to work. While every company's SEO strategy differs, most businesses can expect to see considerable results in 6 to 12 months.
What is the #1 searched thing on Google? ›
...
Top 100 Google searches in the U.S.
| # | Keyword | Search volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 144,000,000 | |
| 2 | youtube | 143,000,000 |
| 3 | amazon | 119,000,000 |
| 4 | weather | 95,300,000 |
- The most searched person on Google today: Queen Elizabeth (The Queen died in Sep 2022)
- The most searched person on Google in 2022: Will Smith (Will smith holds the record for most Googled Person of 2022 after he slapped a fellow actor on stage at the Oscars in Mar 2022).
It might be quite surprising to know that the most asked question in the world is “what is my ip”. There are a little over 3 million people who ask this question every month on Google and that's just one variation of the question. There are more who ask, “what is my ip address” and similar. So that is interesting!
Is SEO a high paying skill? ›In the Digital Marketing domain, Along with the Digital Marketing salary, the salary in an SEO career is among the highest. This is because SEO-skilled professionals are in high demand across the globe.
Does SEO pay well? ›According to Glassdoor, an SEO specialist makes $49,589 per year on average. While this isn't a huge salary, it's above the median personal income in the U.S., which is $35,977, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's data from 2019.
Can you pay for better SEO? ›Technically, SEO is free. You're not paying money for SERP placement. Google ranks content based on a number of factors including the E-A-T trio: Expertise, Authority, and Trust. They're going to highly rank those who are seen as valuable resources for users.