Click-through rate (CTR)

Click through rate, CTR, is clicks divided by impressions. In Search Console, an impression is counted when a link to your page appears on a results page a user loaded. For web search it counts even if the user did not scroll to it. CTR = clicks ÷ impressions.

For a small site, CTR helps you spot pages that are seen but not chosen. It does not measure quality alone. It reflects your title, snippet, brand and the results page layout.

Position sets how many people even see your result. Higher positions usually earn higher CTR. Results pages vary, which shifts the baseline you should expect.

• Brand queries tend to get higher CTR than generic ones.
• Rich features can lower CTR for everyone: featured snippets, People also ask, maps, videos.
• Sitelinks or rich snippets on your result can lift CTR without a rank change.
• On Discover and some carousels, impressions count only when seen, so CTR patterns differ.

1. 1

   Open Performance and select Search results

   Tick Total clicks, Total impressions, Average CTR and Average position.

2. 2

   Set dates

   Use the last 28 days, then compare with the 28 before. The report holds up to 16 months if you need longer context.

3. 3

   Switch between Pages and Queries

   Pages helps you find weak titles. Queries shows intent differences. Rare and anonymised queries are omitted, so query totals are lower than page totals.

4. 4

   Filter by device and country

   Mobile SERPs often show more features. Expect lower CTR at the same position on mobile.

5. 5

   Slice by position

   Add a Position filter, for example positions 3 to 10, then sort by CTR to find outliers. A page at average position 5 with CTR near zero is a red flag.

Low CTR at a steady position often signals a weak title. Start on the Pages tab. Sort by impressions. Look for pages with middling positions and poor CTR.

1. 1

   Open a weak page

   Example: /pricing sits at average position 4 with CTR well below peers for the same terms.

2. 2

   Check the query mix

   On Queries, confirm non brand terms dominate. Brand-heavy pages will naturally have higher CTR.

3. 3

   Review the title tag

   Aim for about 60 characters. Put the core term first. Avoid repeating your brand if it already shows in the URL or sitelinks.

4. 4

   Rewrite for intent

   Match what searchers want. For “email api pricing”, prefer “Email API pricing and limits” over “Pricing”.

5. 5

   Ship and monitor

   Update the title tag. Keep the URL and topic stable. Recheck CTR and position after a few days and over 28 days.

A fixed page reads like this on the results page: clear term first, benefit or qualifier after, no truncation, and a meta description that reinforces the click.

• Impressions can rise without scrolls on web search, pushing CTR down even if nothing broke.
• Average position can improve while CTR drops if new SERP features push clicks lower.
• Multiple URLs for the same query split impressions and clicks. Fix keyword cannibalisation and consolidate.
• Query tables never add up to page totals. Rare and anonymised queries are omitted by design.
• Seasonality and brand demand move CTR. Compare like for like periods.
• If a URL shows as Alternate page with proper canonical tag, it is purposefully not indexed. Fix only if the canonical is wrong, not for CTR.