15+ Google CTR Stats to Click Through

Nine out of 10 people use Google.

Combined, they put 3.5 billion queries on Google’s search bar every single day.

Nearly half of Google users click on at least one link when the results show up.

But how likely are they to click on your website?

Our collection of Google CTR stats is sure to answer that question as well as any others you may have.

Google Search Analysis: Key Facts (Editor’s Choice):

• Google ignores 62.78% of meta descriptions.
• A structured markup can increase CTR by 30%.
• Adding brackets to your title can help increase CTR by up to 38%.
• Brands perform better than regular sites when they’re on the top three positions—their CTR goes up to 20%.
• Featured snippets can reduce CTR by 22%.
• A headline that contains the phrase “how to” can reduce CTR by up to 49%.
• Just 0.63% of users will click on a link from the second page of search results.
• The #1 search result has ten times higher CTR than the tenth result.
• People are nearly 50% more likely to click on a link if they’re searching with commercial intent.

Google Position and Expected Click-Through Rates

Until very recently, it was the case that you get ten results when you looked something up on Google. Now the search engine deploys endless scroll, but it is yet to change much in terms of CTRs.

There are thousands, sometimes even millions, results, but over 90% of users will never see them, and over 99% will never click on any one of them, for they are not on the first page.

Sad, isn’t it?

1. A third of all clicks go to the #1 result on Google.

(Source: PR Newswire)

Your website’s Google ranking position is by far the most important factor in determining how many clicks you’ll get.

Search engines nowadays are good enough almost always to know what people are looking for and recommend the best results. Therefore, the first few links are all the most users ever look at.

Little wonder, then, that according to one study, the #1 search result attracts nearly a third of 31.73% of all clicks.

2. The #1 search result has a ten-times higher CTR than the tenth result.

(Source: Semrush)

Now that you know how important a website’s position on Google is let’s look at the difference between the #1 and #10 spots.

First, though, a disclaimer: there’s no way to gauge these numbers unless Google itself provides the data accurately—and it doesn’t. The figures presented here are approximations based on various studies that use a couple of million searches as a sample, but there are over 3.5 billion daily in reality, so there are slight discrepancies.

The Google search analysis we’re quoting in this stat found that the #1 result gets about 27.6% of all clicks—slightly lower than the previous one but in the same ballpark. Result #2 got 15.8%, and #3 received 11%. For comparison, #10 stood at a mere 2.4%.

In short, the #1 result has over ten times higher CTR than the last one. That’s how you know very few people scroll all the way to the bottom—and we’re still on page one!

3. Just 0.63% of users will click on a link from the second page of search results.

(Source: Backlinko)

What is a good CTR for organic search on Google?

Honestly, you're golden if your site shows up on the front page. If not, you’ll need to improve.

Although not all results in the top ten are equal, even the tenth one still massively outperforms anything that comes after. Consider this: a mere 0.63% of users will click on any link at all from the second page of search results.

4. People are more likely to click on a link if they’re searching with commercial intent.

(Source: Advanced Web Ranking)

We looked at organic CTR by position on Google SERPs already, but we didn’t mention that it changes significantly based on search intent.

The two most popular reasons people google things are to gather information or buy something. The latter is way more likely to lead to clicks.

In searches with commercial intent, #1 results on Google get a CTR of 33.92%, compared to just 23.35% for informational searches.

This trend has only grown stronger over the years due to the introduction of various features, such as featured snippets, which often answer users’ questions without requiring a click. On the other hand, purchasing items requires you to visit a website.

What Is a Good Click-Through Rate?

The reality of the matter is that, regardless of how wonderfully optimized your website is, most people won’t click on it.

It’s not just that the majority of clicks go to page #1. It’s that most people simply don’t click on any website in the Google search results.

Why?

Let’s see.

5. Most Google searches result in no clicks.

(Source: SparkToro)

Google’s raison d'être is to help you find what you need on the wide web—not to help sites boost their average click-through rate.

Nowadays, Google’s result pages themselves contain much more information (snippets, markups, etc.), so users often don’t need to click on a link to find the answer anymore.

Try looking up a word, and you’ll see that Google will provide a definition right away; you won’t have to open any other websites or dictionaries.

Hence why, in June 2019, the CTR fell to an average of 49.77%, of which 45.25% was organic.

6. Over 75% of search queries result in no clicks on mobile.

(Source: Statista)

Even though ranking high in a given search query guarantees a high click-through rate, as we just said above, the reality of the matter is that you’re still missing out on the vast majority of clicks—particularly on mobile.

It turns out that a mere 21.99% of mobile searches result in an organic click, and another 0.79% lead to a paid click. The remaining 77.22% are zero-click searches.

Things look slightly better on desktop, where just 46.48% of search queries end up in no clicks, 50.75% lead to organic clicks, and 2.78% generate paid clicks.

7. When they’re in the top three positions, brands perform better than regular sites.

(Source: Advanced Web Ranking)

Just because you got the first spot on Google doesn’t mean you can’t improve further. Increasing your brand awareness can get you a ton more clicks.

The combined click-through rate for the #1, #2, and #3 results in a typical search query is 61.2%. But if the first three results are branded—that is, if they belong to well-known brands—CTR skyrockets all the way up to 81.2%.

Just the #1 result’s CTR goes up from 27.41% for random sites to 35.31% for brands.

Tips and Tricks to Get Better Google Click-Through Rates

Your best bet to get more clicks is to try and place higher on the Google results page.

Failing that, there’re still some less-known tricks you could make use of to try and manipulate people into choosing your website and not that of a competitor.

Here are our tips.

8. Adding brackets to your title can help increase CTR by up to 38%.

(Source: Hubspot)

We bet you didn’t expect this one, but it’s a great way to obtain a couple more clicks regardless of your SERP ranking.

When we say “brackets,” we mean it literally: add a word or two at the end of your title and watch the CTR go up by up to 38%.

Particularly good choices are [template], [free download], [infographic], [photos], [video], and [interview]. Just keep in mind that whatever you put between the brackets, it obviously needs to fit the story, so choose accordingly.

9. Google ignores 62.78% of meta descriptions.

(Source: Advanced Web Ranking)

One way to get a good organic CTR is through the cunning use of meta descriptions—if done right, they can boost clicks by 5.8%.

That said, there’s a caveat that we at Web Tribunal have to discuss: Google ignores the vast majority of custom descriptions.

This means that the search engine will use the hardcoded description in only 37.22% of cases. In all other instances, it will “rewrite” them. If you can use the right keywords, you could attract a decent amount of additional clicks.

10. A structured markup can increase CTR by 30%.

(Source: Search Engine Land)

You may have noticed that all sites with a high SERP position tend to have something in common—they look pretty.

This is usually done through the so-called “structured markup,” which is basically a way of presenting more information in an easy-to-digest manner.

For instance, recipe blogs and movie-related sites often have a rating markup. Here’s an example: looking up “Dunkirk” returns several results from the likes of IMDb and Wikipedia that include the following markups:

• 7.8/10 ★★★★☆ (640K)
• Box office: $527 million
• Budget: $100–$150 million

This immediately lets you know key info, such as how many people rated the movie and how well they liked it. Why does this matter?

Because Google CTR stats suggest that users are up to 30% more likely to click on a website using this trick.

11. Featured snippets can reduce CTR by 22%.

(Source: Advanced Web Ranking)

You can think of a featured snippet as a query result that takes the first Google search position but counts as #0 because it comes above the traditional #1 result.

It typically consists of a short answer to a question and can include a table, a bullet list, etc.

Now, on the bright side, snippets attract up to 8.6% of all clicks on any given SERP. So, if your site gets featured, you’ll earn some traffic.

On the other hand, result pages that include a snippet and a “people also ask” box generally provoke far fewer clicks than normal (-22%). This is because the snippet will typically answer the question, thus rendering further action pointless on the part of the user.

12. A headline that contains the phrase “how to” can reduce CTR by up to 49%.

(Source: Hubspot)

CTR data reveals that while certain keywords can attract a good number of extra clicks, some can have the exact opposite effect. Instructional terms, in particular, are wildly unpopular.

A single “how to” in your headline can nearly halve CTR while using the word “tip” can deprive you of 59% of your clicks.

The most likely explanation is that people simply don’t trust websites that seem too good to be true (“simple” and “easy” reduce CTR by 44%-49%, too). Plus, there are way too many headlines using terms like these, which might be making netizens see them as clichéd or clickbait-y.

Ads in Google Search Results

If you’re failing to attain an acceptable number of clicks through normal means, there’s always the option of resorting to paid clicks—i.e., ads.

The fact that people are generally unlikely to click on those doesn’t stop Google from making about $150 billion a year from ads alone.

Here’s what you should know:

13. 94% of search queries happen on Google-owned platforms.

(Source: SparkToro)

Do you know anyone who uses Yahoo! instead of Google?

Probably not (although, believe it or not, there are still some mavericks out there who purposefully see what Yahoo! has to offer). Still, no matter how high a CTR you can achieve elsewhere, you're doomed unless your website is optimized for Google.

94% of all search queries happen on Google-owned platforms, including the search engine itself (69.35%), Google Images (20.45%), YouTube (2.98%), and even Google Maps (0.75%).

For comparison, 1.18% of people use Bing and a mere 0.4% turn to DuckDuckGo.

14. Roughly 12% of all clicks go to Google-owned sites.

(Source: SparkToro)

Even as you optimize your site for Google’s algorithms, you have to fight Google itself, as there’s a good chance, there will be an organic search result from the tech giant—and it’ll rank high.

In fact, 5.98% of all search queries—or 12% of all clicks—lead to another Google site (YouTube, Maps, etc.).

Congress actually questioned Google in an antitrust hearing because of this phenomenon, and the Justice Department has since asked that Google be sanctioned, with a trial pending for September 2023.

We know what you’re thinking: is an objective search engine even possible?

DuckDuckGo’s existence says it is. Unlike Google, this search engine doesn’t save any info on you, which means no targeted ads or tailored content on top search results. DuckDuckGo displays unbiased search results and plain old, general advertisements on the designated ad spots.

Fun fact: The US isn’t the only one questioning Google’s practices—in fact, it’s coming late to the party. The European Commission has slammed Google with multiple fines for breaching antitrust rules. So far, they total over €8 billion.

15. The average CTR for search ads is 3.17%.

(Source: WebFX)

How many people click on Google Ads?

Not many. In fact, ads get click-through rates several times lower than those of organic links, though the exact percentage depends on various criteria, such as the type of ad and the industry.

Search ads—i.e., the ones that show up at the top of some SERPs—have an average CTR of just 3.17%. Not much, but better than it was in 2015 (1.35%). Display ads (banners, pop-ups, etc.), on the other hand, boast an even sadder click-through rate (0.46%).

All in all, the average CTR for Google Ads in general (aka for both types of ads) is 1.9%. That means only one or two out of every 100 users will click on one.

16. The ads related to the arts and entertainment industry have an average CTR of 10.67%.

(Source: Search Engine Journal)

A CTR study focused on Google, and Microsoft found that not all industries get the same number of clicks on their ads. In fact, some are much more successful than others.

For instance, legal service ads attract a click just 3.84% of the time, while the arts industry boasts a CTR of 10.67%. Travel ads are also much more successful than average, at a click-through rate of 8.54%.

And just like click-through rates vary by industry, so does the average cost per click. The legal services industry pays an average of $8.67 for a click, whereas the travel and real estate industries pay just $1.40.

Wrap Up

No matter how much you spend on ads, organic clicks are where it’s really at. Not only are they free, but they generate far more traffic, too. Rather than throwing money at Google, optimizing your website is often the better choice.

So, make the most out of your SEO strategy, boost your clicks, convert leads, and keep up to date with the latest Google CTR stats.