SERP CTR Calculator
Position One Isn't Just a Vanity Metric
The gap in click-through rate between the top organic result and position ten is enormous — and it compounds directly into traffic. Knowing roughly how many clicks a given ranking position is worth for a keyword's search volume turns a ranking report into a traffic forecast, which is far more useful when deciding whether chasing an extra position or two is worth the effort.
The Formula
The average CTR figures come from published, widely-cited organic CTR-by-position benchmark studies. They're industry averages across many queries and SERP types — actual CTR for any single keyword varies with SERP features like featured snippets, ads, and knowledge panels.
Where This Matters
- Forecasting the payoff of a ranking improvement — estimating the traffic gain from moving a page from position 5 to position 2.
- Prioritizing which keywords to push — a high-volume keyword stuck at position 8 may still be worth less traffic than a lower-volume keyword already at position 2.
- Setting realistic traffic expectations — explaining to stakeholders why ranking #1 for a term doesn't capture 100% of its search volume.
Average Organic CTR by Position
| Position | Average CTR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 31.7% |
| 2 | 24.7% |
| 3 | 18.7% |
| 4 | 13.6% |
| 5 | 9.5% |
| 6 | 6.2% |
| 7 | 4.3% |
| 8 | 3.1% |
| 9 | 2.5% |
| 10 | 2.2% |
Beyond position 10, published benchmarks generally settle around 1% or less; this calculator uses 1% for any position past the first page.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the search position (1, 2, 3, and so on).
- Enter the keyword's monthly search volume.
- Select Calculate to see the estimated monthly clicks at that position.
Related Calculations
Turn estimated clicks into a dollar figure with the Organic Traffic Value Calculator, or check how competitive reaching that position will be with the Keyword Difficulty Calculator.