{"id":9159,"date":"2023-04-21T13:46:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T13:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T13:46:38","slug":"is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/","title":{"rendered":"Is click-through rate a valuable SEO metric?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The role of click-through rate (CTR) in SEO has been debated for many years.<\/p>\n<p>Several industry studies have asserted that CTR is a ranking factor \u2013 a claim that\u2019s been ardently denied by many Googlers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s a direct ranking signal or not, CTR has its place in SEO. <\/p>\n<p>This article explores why CTR matters in SEO, Google\u2019s stance on the metric and how to use it right.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#What_does_CTR_mean_for_SEO\" >What does CTR mean for SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#Measuring_the_impact_of_SEO_A_look_at_metrics_and_KPIs\" >Measuring the impact of SEO: A look at metrics and KPIs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#Does_Google_use_CTR_as_a_ranking_factor\" >Does Google use CTR as a ranking factor?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#What_do_correlation_studies_say_about_CTRs_impact\" >What do correlation studies say about CTR&#8217;s impact?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#What_does_Google_say_about_CTR_as_a_ranking_factor\" >What does Google say about CTR as a ranking factor?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/21\/is-click-through-rate-a-valuable-seo-metric\/#How_to_use_CTR_to_improve_your_SEO\" >How to use CTR to improve your SEO<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_CTR_mean_for_SEO\"><\/span>What does CTR mean for SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CTR can mean many things depending on the context. In PPC campaigns, it is used as a metric to measure ad effectiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to SEO, CTR refers to the percentage of people who click an organic or unpaid (Google) search result that leads to your website.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, if out of 100 searchers, five clicked through to your page from Google, then your CTR for that particular result is 5%.<\/p>\n<p>Google conveniently <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/1308626?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shares the numbers<\/a> with us on <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Search Console<\/a> (GSC):<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>As usual, you have to take the numbers you see as approximations or relative numbers because Google withholds a significant percentage of search queries from us for privacy reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Local results often make people disclose their whereabouts or other sensible data. Likewise, health and finance information may be too risky to share, so Google hides related keywords.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Measuring_the_impact_of_SEO_A_look_at_metrics_and_KPIs\"><\/span>Measuring the impact of SEO: A look at metrics and KPIs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If CTR is not a confirmed ranking factor, is it still a <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-metrics-track-391864\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">useful KPI<\/a> for tracking our SEO efforts? Or is it a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tableau.com\/learn\/articles\/vanity-metrics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vanity metric<\/a> for showing off?<\/p>\n<p>Many SEOs still rely on metrics that don\u2019t really provide actionable insights, including rankings, traffic and engagement.<\/p>\n<p>They are not completely useless, but by themselves and without context, these metrics won\u2019t make sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rankings differ depending on who searches from where based on search history and location and may be pointless with the wrong user intent.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic can be completely irrelevant or downright harmful. Thousands of people looking for the wrong thing you don&#8217;t even offer only cause server load!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Engagement can be the wrong kind of engagement. When people are angry and write comments, it might look good as a number.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Satisfied visitors typically write fewer comments. Complaining happens much more often than expressing gratitude.<\/p>\n<p>I believe CTR is a useful SEO metric. It lets you see how many people are clicking through and also how many are not. Then you need to find out why.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Google_use_CTR_as_a_ranking_factor\"><\/span>Does Google use CTR as a ranking factor?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Some SEO experts argue that Google can&#8217;t rely on links anymore as they are &#8220;gamed&#8221; easily. What else would be a useful metric they thought?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well, given all the websites using Google Analytics and Search Console, Google has a wealth of user experience data. Some even point out that Google Chrome also collects such information.<\/p>\n<p>For example, they can see whether visitors came, puked and ran away after clicking your website (thanks to bounce rate as measured by Google Analytics). They could also see who clicked through in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>So these SEO experts concluded that such metrics might be a perfect ranking signal to use for Google along backlinks. Yet, there\u2019s no reliable way to find out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then, some resorted to \u201ccorrelation studies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They tried to look at the top-ranking content, analyze it and then, based on that analysis, reverse-engineer the algorithmic ranking signals.<\/p>\n<p>A famous and somewhat shortsighted correlation has been widely spread ever since \u2013 content length.<\/p>\n<p>The correlation studies showed that most top-ranking content was much longer that its lower-ranking counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>Does it mean that just by writing 3000 words of fluff, you can outrank 1,000 words of expertly written, highly specific content? Most likely not.<\/p>\n<p>It just means that the existing articles are probably expertly written and comprehensive. Note that this was before AI became a major part of ranking algorithms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today, search engines can use highly complex &#8220;machine learning&#8221; and artificial intelligence to determine the quality of websites and have to rely less on indirect metrics.<\/p>\n<p>So correlation studies have indicated that well-ranking pages also have a higher CTR.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Does it mean that Google uses CTR as a ranking signal? Well, no. It&#8217;s possible but not proof.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As we know from science, <a href=\"https:\/\/sitn.hms.harvard.edu\/flash\/2021\/when-correlation-does-not-imply-causation-why-your-gut-microbes-may-not-yet-be-a-silver-bullet-to-all-your-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">correlation is not causation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Just because you sneezed on a sunny day does not mean that the sun caused the sneezing.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a closer look at some popular correlation studies below.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_do_correlation_studies_say_about_CTRs_impact\"><\/span>What do correlation studies say about CTR&#8217;s impact?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I remember at least three widely read correlation studies that looked at user experience factors like CTR (among others).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They suggested that indeed there is a significant correlation between website usage or click-throughs from search results and increased rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One such notable survey was done by Larry Kim of (then) WordStream <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/blog\/does-organic-ctr-impact-seo-rankings-new-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">back in 2016<\/a>. The data set was relatively small but seemed to show some visible impact.<\/p>\n<p>Another CTR study was conducted by the German SEO tool vendor Sistrix <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sistrix.com\/blog\/why-almost-everything-you-knew-about-google-ctr-is-no-longer-valid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2020<\/a>. This time no claims on CTR being a ranking factor have been made despite a very large data set (probably the largest to date).<\/p>\n<p>The Semrush team also looked at many search queries <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/ranking-factors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in 2017<\/a>, the respective (UX) signals and related rankings. They have found a strong correlation between &#8220;direct website visits&#8221; and top Google rankings.<\/p>\n<p>The Semrush study stirred a lot of controversy for its bold claim that &#8220;direct traffic is the top ranking factor these days.&#8221; They did not specifically refer to CTR, though.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_Google_say_about_CTR_as_a_ranking_factor\"><\/span>What does Google say about CTR as a ranking factor?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After word about these study results spread far and wide, it led to some weird tricks to fool Google into believing that results were clicked.<\/p>\n<p>Huge click farms were used in Asia (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/click-farms-internet-china-154440209.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mainland China<\/a>) to simulate clicks by setting up a vast amount of hardware (thousands of smartphones or computers).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These click fraud machines were made to fake all kinds of online metrics, such as ad clicks, social media engagement and app downloads.<\/p>\n<p>Google spokespeople repeatedly and vehemently deny that there is some impact or ranking signal related to CTR or other so-called UX factors.<\/p>\n<p>Most strikingly, John Mueller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-ctr-ranking-clickbait-32368.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stated in 2021<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If CTR were what drove search rankings, the results would be all click-bait. I don&#8217;t see that happening.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whether you believe Mueller or not, it is improbable that CTR is an important ranking signal as it&#8217;s too easy to fool both by using click farms and by creating clickbait.<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least, click studies have always shown that the results already on top get clicked the most. This would create a self-fulfilling prophecy and a closed loop in case Google uses CTR to determine rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Position 1 results get the highest CTR, and thus Google would have to put the results that are already ranking on top higher than those shown below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So unless Google created a rather complex algorithm to reduce the impact of top rankings on CTR (which differs based on numerous factors like location, industry, SERP features etc.), it would not make sense.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_use_CTR_to_improve_your_SEO\"><\/span>How to use CTR to improve your SEO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>TL;DR: <\/strong>Although CTR is likely <strong>not<\/strong> a significant ranking signal and may be a bit of a vanity metric without context, it is also quite useful. (Otherwise, I wouldn&#8217;t go to such great lengths to write about it!)<\/p>\n<p>So how can organic CTR benefit your SEO efforts?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use CTR for discovering low-hanging fruit<\/strong>: You have many impressions but no clicks (low CTR)? Bingo! That might be a page that is almost ranking for a keyword.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>You can find keyword combinations that just need a nudge to finally capitalize on existing visibility and get some clicks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use CTR to locate off-topic or irrelevant pages<\/strong>: So you have a high CTR but no conversions? There may be some mismatch between search query or user intent and the actual page or its content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You may even rank high for a lucrative transactional query, but you waste people&#8217;s time and energy when there is nothing to buy (think out-of-stock products).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use CTR to find highly valuable long-tail queries<\/strong>: So some more obscure three-word keyphrase has just three searches but 100% CTR? Whoa!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a closer look, maybe there are even more similar long tail keyword combinations possible on the same page?<\/p>\n<p>Just consider this screenshot from my blog&#8217;s GSC:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Yes, CTR can be a valuable SEO metric beyond mere vanity, regardless of whether it is a ranking factor.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/click-through-rate-seo-metric-395858\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Is click-through rate a valuable SEO metric?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The role of click-through rate (CTR) in SEO has been debated for many years. Several industry studies have asserted that CTR is a ranking factor \u2013 a claim that\u2019s been ardently denied by many Googlers.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s a direct ranking signal or not, CTR has its place in SEO. This article explores why CTR matters in SEO, Google\u2019s stance on the metric and how to use it right.\u00a0\u00a0 What does CTR mean for SEO? CTR can mean many things depending on the context. In PPC campaigns, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}