A recent study has revealed that up to 30% of search results appearing on the first and second pages receive no clicks at all.
Interestingly, the click-through rate (CTR) for search results in highly ranked positions is also quite low. According to the study:
- CTR for the #1 ranking position is just over 21%
- CTR for the #2 ranking position is just over 10%
- CTR for the #3 ranking position is around 7.5%
- CTR for positions 5-8 ranges between 5% to 3%
In summary, approximately 1 out of every 3 or 4 searches results in no clicks.
Why are people searching but not clicking on the results?
The study suggests that this phenomenon may be linked to the rise of the Knowledge Box and Rich Card formats.
“With the introduction of the Knowledge Box, other Rich Card formats, various carousels and blended universal result types, and the expanded 4-pack of Paid Ads, this isn’t too surprising to us…"
The study also uncovered notable findings for branded queries, showing a significantly higher CTR for branded queries that appear in the top half of the first page.
For branded queries, the top 3 positions are crucial, accounting for 99% of all clicks from branded searches.
For more detailed information, refer to the full study and the 2017 Click Through Rate whitepaper.
