Click-Through Rate (CTR)

What is Click-Through Rate (CTR)?

Click-Through Rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the percentage of users who click on a specific link after seeing it. It’s calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions, then multiplying the result by 100. For instance, if a link appears in search results 100 times and is clicked on 10 times, the CTR is 10%. If you’re interested in a more in-depth description, I break it down in more detail here.

CTR is used to evaluate the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns, particularly in pay-per-click (PPC) and email marketing. However, its relevance extends to organic search results, raising the question, is CTR a ranking factor for SEO?

Is CTR a Google ranking metric?

Google has never stated that CTR is a direct ranking factor for organic search results, in fact Gary Illyes has explicitly denied it in a Reddit AMA. However, several clues suggest that it plays a role. Google’s goal is to deliver the most relevant and useful results to users, and CTR provides a major insight into how well a page satisfies search intent.

Relevance and user satisfaction

Logically, a low CTR would signal that a search result doesn’t align with user expectations. For example, if a page ranks high in search results but has a low CTR, it may not be matching the user’s needs, hence why few people are clicking on it. This misalignment could and should lead to Google reconsidering the page’s ranking.

Insights from PPC Ads

According to Larry Kim, CTR is a key component of Google’s Quality Score for PPC ads. A higher CTR indicates greater relevance, which Google rewards with lower costs per click and better ad placements. This reliance on CTR in ads suggests that Google values user engagement as a metric, making it plausible that a similar principle applies to organic search as well.

Machine learning in search algorithms

Google uses machine learning to refine its algorithms, such as RankBrain, which interprets user behaviour to improve search rankings. CTR data may very well feed into these systems, as it helps Google understand which results resonate most with users.

Supporting evidence and industry insights

There has been no definitive study that’s proved CTR is a ranking factor, but this would be difficult to test at scale. However, in a public experiment in 2014, Rand Fishkin demonstrated that a page ranking seventh in search results moved to the first position after a spike in clicks driven by a tweet. The rise in traffic and CTR on that result appeared to coincide with an improvement in its ranking for the specific query.

The argument against CTR being a ranking factor

Google’s argument for saying CTR isn’t a ranking factor comes from both John Mueller and Garry Illyes, and they both state that CTR is too easy for SEOs to manipulate.

John Mueller in a Reddit AMA, was typically evasive when asked directly whether CTR was a ranking metric, by replying:

“We look at a lot of signals when we evaluate our algorithms, and as you know, we make a lot of updates to our algorithms (which we end up having to test). Personally, I don’t think people clicking on a site is always the best quality signal — stepping back from search, people do really weird things sometimes, and sometimes a lot of people do the same weird thing, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best thing to do.”

He later went further and said, “if CTR drove search rankings, the results would all be click-bait.”

The problem with this argument is it’s too simplistic. Google is highly sophisticated at detecting manipulation. In fact, an experiment manipulating CTR conducted in 2015 appeared to be discovered by Google, and resulted in a negative effect on ranking positions. As for clickbait, Google penalises web pages that use clickbait, or more explicitly, ‘misleading headlines,’. So this is most likely the reason why we don’t see much clickbait in search results, rather than CTR not being a ranking factor.

Google’s spokespeople such as John Mueller, and formerly Matt Cutts are famous for misdirection, so we shouldn’t believe everything they say when it comes to SEO. It’s not in Google’s best interest to say certain things work for SEO, because as they quite rightly say, spammers will have a field day.

Adding further to this, in May 2024 there were thousands of leaked Google Search API documents, and within these it appeared to show that CTR is indeed a ranking factor, along with numerous other insights that directly contradicted the public statements made by Google.

Here’s a video of the guy who leaked the documents where he discusses conversations he’s had with John Mueller.

I personally believe it is highly likely and even logical that CTR is a ranking factor. Why would Google want a result on page one that no one clicks on? And besides, even if CTR doesn’t directly increase ranking positions, there are multiple benefits in improving CTR.

The benefits of improving CTR

A higher CTR directly translates to more users visiting your website. Even if your rankings remain the same, an optimised meta title and description can attract a larger share of clicks from the same search position. If you have a highly engaging headline for example, you could gain more clicks than the websites ranking above yours. This means you can drive more traffic without needing to increase your ranking position.

Tips for improving CTR

If improving CTR can boost your page’s visibility and engagement, whether or not it directly impacts rankings, then what have you got to lose? There are probably hundreds of tips for improving CTR which you will find with some research, but in my opinion, these are the top two.

Write compelling titles and meta descriptions

There are entire books written on how to write compelling and ‘clickable’ headlines. The father of advertising himself, David Oglivy started that 80% of your advertising budget should be spent on the headline because it’s the first, and sometimes the only, thing people read.

Include emotionally charged or action-oriented words to draw attention. Ensure your title and meta description clearly reflect what users are looking for and most importantly, test, test, test.

Use Rich Snippets

Making use of rich snippets and structured data means you can display features like star ratings, images, and FAQs in search results. These elements make your listing more eye-catching and can have a big impact on your CTR, especially if you are one of the only results utilising this tactic.

The bottom line

While Google denies CTR as a ranking metric, its role in assessing user engagement and relevance is impossible to ignore.

Evidence from PPC advertising, industry experiments, and other studies indicate that CTR is an important consideration for SEO. So, regardless if CTR is a direct ranking metric or not, I would strongly advise SEOs to monitor their CTRs and actively set out to improve them.