CTR (click-through rate) is another metric that often speaks to the overall opportunity.
The first keyword ranks 6.5 on average and has a 2.4% click-through rate. The second keyword, despite ranking better, which would generally improve click rate, has an appalling 0.5% CTR – only one in every 200 searches results in a click.
These keywords have room for improvement, but the second one represents a huge opportunity and should be investigated further – why do so few people click?
SEO mix: Clicks, impressions, CTR and position
Carefully review your keywords, considering clicks, impressions, CTR and ranking position to identify opportunities for optimization.
Optimization targets
As you work through this list of keywords, you should make a list and choose keywords to improve.
We want more clicks, and that can be done by improving rankings and CTR.
Pick three or so keywords, enter them into the SEO easy wins template and then move on to the next step.
Step 2: Landscape analysis
Before working on any optimization, review the search landscape for your target terms. Understanding the page layout will show you where the opportunities are and where to focus.
I’ll use a keyword from a new business we’re helping, Stairfurb, as I feel a real-world example provides the best overall.
Landscape analysis for ‘glass banister’
322 clicks.
8,636 impressions.
3.4% CTR.
2.6 position (ranking).
This keyword has reasonable volume, a pretty strong ranking between Positions 2 and 3 and a fairly average CTR of 3.4%.
The intent is right here. As the business sells glass banister kits, we want to see more than a lowly three clicks for every 100 searches. Let’s look at what is happening here.
Search results for “glass banister”
The image above only shows the initial results, but the full page is structured as follows:
8 shopping ads.
8 organic shopping (merchant listings).
1 organic.
1 organic (StairFurb).
1 organic.
1 organic.
6 images.
4 People also ask.
1 organic.
1 organic.
1 organic.
8 merchant listings.
1 organic.
8 merchant listings.
1 organic.
1 text ad.
This is a fairly complex set of blended search results. There are shopping ads, organic shopping listings (three sets of them for 24 organic products), organic results, images and People also ask, among other things.
Yet, for this site, despite a strong showing in the second organic placement, there are still 8 paid shopping and 8 organic shopping listings above the organic, meaning that there are 17 links above (including the one organic in Position 1) that a user can click and head off in a whole other direction.
Opportunities
Improve organic ranking (move from Position 2 to Position 1).
Improve exposure in organic shopping listings.
Fortunately, Search Console also gives you some intel on product listings in the Search Appearance tab of the Performance report (Performance > Search Results > Search Appearance tab).
There are two rows of information here:
Product snippets: These are a traditional listing that includes some product details. In the image below, you can see the price, return details and stock.
Merchant listings: These are the organic shopping results that feature prominently for this search query (three blocks on Page 1 with a total of 24 organic products listed).
Now, what is really interesting here is the CTR of 34%. One in three people who see that listing will click on it – that is huge.
Contrast that to some of the organic CTRs you see and you can see how improvements here can really scale your traffic.
Landscape analysis for keyword ‘B’
60 clicks.
630 impressions.
9.5% CTR.
Position 1.
This keyword is slightly different, with a solid Position 1 ranking and ~10% CTR.
The only lever to press here is CTR, so if you review the results, you see:
8 shopping ads.
1st place listing.
Opportunities
Here, ensure you have the best possible page title, meta description and all the schema data to make this listing as attractive as possible below those pesky magnetic shopping ads.
Landscape analysis for keyword ‘C’
25 clicks.
9,000 impressions.
0.3% CTR.
Position 7.
This one is a little different again. Clicks are low, with only one in 300 searches giving you a precious click here.
Landscape analysis shows us:
8 shopping ads.
8 organic shopping.
4 People also ask.
8 organic.
8 organic shopping (second instance).
2 organic.
Opportunities
Optimize for organic shopping.
Target People also ask / snippets.
Improve ranking.
Improve CTR.
Lots of scope here for improvement across various elements of the page.
Step 3: Optimize
If you spend time in GSC like this, you will get familiar with the Search Results section and find a treasure trove of opportunities.
The specifics will always depend on your keywords, industry and location, but just follow the process.
Filter out the brand and focus on target geography.
Review high volume, low CTR, etc.
Review the results.
Look for patterns.
Some general approaches to try out:
Keywords in positions 2, 3, 4 and 5 for easy optimization tweaks.
Keywords in the top three with low CTR for metadata tweaks.
The key is to analyze, keep notes (using this handy document) and identify patterns.
You will soon understand what works for you and can refine your approach over time.
Maximize your SEO potential with Google Search Console
SEO can be complex, and commercial tools often lead to time-consuming technical fixes with limited impact.
Use Google’s diagnostic data to uncover straightforward optimization opportunities that provide quick wins.
Dig deeper: How to link GA4 with Google Search Console
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