Click-through rate (CTR) is clicks / impressions × 100%. In SEO it usually refers to the organic CTR shown in Google Search Console — what percentage of users who saw your page in the SERP actually clicked on it.
Reference CTR by position (informational queries)
Baseline averages compiled from Advanced Web Ranking and Ahrefs studies:
| Position | Typical CTR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 28-40% |
| 2 | 14-22% |
| 3 | 9-13% |
| 4 | 6-9% |
| 5 | 5-7% |
| 6-10 | 2-5% |
| 11-20 | 0.5-2% |
These vary significantly by query type:
- Branded queries: position 1 CTR can hit 50-70%
- Transactional queries: lower CTR at every position (ads + Shopping)
- Queries with AI Overview: organic CTR suppressed by ~30-40%
- Queries with a featured snippet (not yours): organic CTR suppressed by ~25%
Use the CTR Predictor to model your specific scenario.
CTR as a ranking factor
Google has publicly said CTR is not a direct ranking factor for organic results. Internally, CTR is almost certainly used in some form (RankBrain, query freshness, etc.) — Pandu Nayak's congressional testimony confirmed Google uses click data, though not in the simplistic way some SEO posts claim.
Practical takeaway: optimising for CTR primarily wins you traffic at your current position. It doesn't reliably boost rankings, but won't hurt them either.
How to improve CTR at the same position
The three highest-leverage levers, in order:
- Title tag rewrite — the blue link is the biggest CTR driver. Use the Snippet Optimizer.
- Meta description rewrite — moves CTR by 5-15% even when Google sometimes rewrites it.
- Schema markup — eligibility for stars, prices, FAQ accordion (where still surfaced) lifts the visual footprint and clicks.
A poorly-written snippet at position 3 often underperforms a well-written snippet at position 5. CTR optimisation is the cheapest SEO win at any position.