he click-through rate an important SEO metric to measure? //

For many years, the role of click-through rates (CTRs) in SEO was debated.

Many Googlers have vehemently denied that CTR was a ranking factor.

CTR is important in SEO, whether it is a ranking signal.

This article explains why CTR is important in SEO and Google’s position on the metric. It also explains how to use it correctly.

What does CTR for SEO mean?

CTR is a term that can be used in many different contexts. CTR is used in PPC campaigns to measure the effectiveness of ads.

In SEO, the CTR is the percentage of users who click on a Google organic or non-paid search result to reach your website.

If, out of 100 Google searchers, only five click through to your site, your CTR is 5%.

Google conveniently shares numbers on Google Search console.

You should always take these numbers as an approximation or relative number, because Google hides a large percentage of our search queries for privacy purposes.

Local results can often lead people to reveal their location or other useful data. Google may also hide related keywords if sharing health or finance information is too risky.

Measuring SEO’s impact: KPIs and metrics

Is CTR still a useful metric to track our SEO efforts if it isn’t a ranking factor? Is it just a vanity metric to show off?

Rankings, traffic, and engagement are all metrics that many SEOs still use, but don’t provide any real actionable insight.

These metrics aren’t completely useless but they don’t make any sense without context.

Rankings can be different depending on where the search is coming from, based on location and history of searches. They may also be irrelevant if the user has the wrong intent.

Traffic can either be irrelevant or harmful. Server load is caused by thousands of people searching for something you do not even offer.

The wrong type of engagement can occur. It might be a good number when people write angry comments.

Visitors who are satisfied tend to leave fewer comments. Complaining is much more common than expressing gratitude.

CTR is an important SEO metric. You can see how many click throughs there are and how many don’t. You need to then find out the reason.

Does Google consider CTR a ranking factor for search results?

Some SEO experts claim that Google cannot rely on the links they provide anymore because they can be “gamed”. What other metric would they consider useful?

Google is a goldmine of information about user experience, thanks to all the websites that use Google Analytics and Search Console. Others have even pointed out that Google Chrome collects similar information.

Google Analytics can measure bounce rates, which will allow them to see, for example, if visitors came and puked on your site, then ran away (thanks Google Analytics). The first person to click through could be identified.

These SEO experts came to the conclusion that these metrics could be used as a ranking signal by Google, along with backlinks. There’s still no way to know for sure.

Some people then resorted “to correlation studies.”

They looked at the content that was ranked highest, analysed it, and then reverse-engineered the algorithmic rankings signals based on this analysis.

Since then, a famous but somewhat shortsighted correlation – content length – has been widely circulated.

According to the correlation studies, top-ranked content is usually much longer than its lower-ranking equivalents.

Do you mean to say that if you write 3000 words of fluff and a 1000 words of highly specific, expertly written content, it will be more effective than if you wrote 1,000 words? Most likely, no.

This simply means that existing articles have probably been written by experts and are comprehensive. This was done before AI played a significant role in ranking algorithms.

Search engines today can use artificial intelligence and “machine-learning” to assess the quality of a website and rely less upon indirect metrics.

Correlation studies have shown that pages with a high ranking also have a greater CTR.

Does this mean that Google uses CTR to determine ranking? Well, no. You can’t prove it, but you could.

As science has shown, correlation does not equal causation.

It is not true that sneezing on a sunny morning was caused by the sun.

Below, we’ll take a look at some popular studies of correlation.

What can correlation studies tell us about CTR?

I can recall at least three correlation studies which looked at factors such as CTR and user experience.

They concluded that there is indeed a correlation between increased ranking and website usage, or clicking through from search results.

• Larry Kim, (then-) WordStream in 2016, conducted a notable survey. The data set was small, but it seemed to have some impact.
• In 2020 , the German SEO tool vendor Sistrix conducted another CTR study. Despite a large dataset (probably the biggest to date), no claim was made that CTR is a ranking factor.
• Semrush also examined many search queries from 2017 and the (UX signals) that were associated with them. They found that there is a strong correlation between top Google rankings and “direct website visitors”.

Semrush’s study sparked a lot controversy with its bold claim, “direct traffic is now the most important ranking factor.” The study did not mention CTR specifically.

What does Google have to say about CTR being a ranking factor for Google?

Google was tricked into thinking that the results had been clicked after word of these results spread.

Click farms of this size were set up in Asia, e.g. mainland China to simulate clicks.

These click fraud machines were designed to feign all sorts of online metrics such as clicks on ads, engagement in social media and app downloads.

Google spokespersons have repeatedly denied that CTR and other UX factors are ranking signals or impacting Google’s search results.

John Mueller said in 2021 that the most striking thing he had to say was:

If CTR was what determined search rankings, then the results would all be clickbait. “I don’t think that will happen.”

It is unlikely that CTR will be a ranking factor, whether you believe Mueller or otherwise. Click farms and clickbait are too easy to manipulate.

Click studies have shown, last but not least that the top results are the ones most clicked. If Google were to use CTR as a ranking factor, this would be a self-fulfilling omen.

Google will have to rank the top results higher than the ones below.

It would not make sense unless Google developed a complex algorithm that reduces the impact of top rankings (which varies based on many factors such as location, industry and SERP features). It would be illogical.

Use CTR to improve SEO

TLDR: Although CTR may not be but it can still be useful. If I didn’t care so much about it, I would not have written this article.

How can organic CTR help your SEO efforts

You have a high impression rate but a low CTR (low CTR). Bingo! This could be a website that is close to ranking for a particular keyword.

There are keyword combinations which just need a little nudge in order to capitalize on their existing visibility and generate some clicks.

Use the CTR to find irrelevant or off-topic pages. So, you have a CTR high but no conversions. It is possible that there’s a mismatch between the search query, user intent and page content.

Even if you rank highly for a transactional query that is lucrative, it’s a waste of time and effort to have nothing available (think about out-of stock products).

Find long-tail queries with high CTR by using CTR. So, some obscure keyphrases have only three searches and 100% CTR but just three searches? Whoa!

Take a closer inspection, perhaps there are more long tail keyword combinations that can be found on the same webpage?

Take a look at this screenshot of my blog’s GSC.

CTR is an SEO metric that can provide valuable information, beyond vanity.

The post Can click-through rate be used as a SEO metric? first appeared on Search Engine Land.