How To Increase Your Organic Search CTR
Organic traffic is disappearing. The latest data shows that 50% of Google searchers no longer click through to another website, around 45% of searches result in an organic click and the remaining 5% results in a PPC advert click. That means that for every search that happens on Google, it’s a 50/50 chance whether or not they will continue and click through to another website. Even then, the top 3 organic positions take up half of all the organic clicks, meaning just being on the first page isn’t enough anymore: you need to aim for the top 3, something our own SEO agency in Manchester can help you achieve.
This is a big change, but exactly why are so many people refusing to click through to another website after searching on Google? Simple: in 2020, the Google search results page is designed to steal clicks from webmasters. Content such as knowledge panels, questions, and featured snippets allow Google to use your own content and information to the searcher without them having to ever visit your website. In today’s world, ranking in a high position isn’t enough: you need to make sure your search snippet is eye-catching and makes people want to click through to your website. In this blog, I will outline how you can increase your click through rate (CTR) for organic searches.
Write Effective Titles And Descriptions
The title and description is the first and only thing a user can read from your website without clicking through. It is important to establish what your content is about, catch the attention of the searcher and show them that your website holds the information they are looking for. This will drive more people to click on your snippet and access your website.
Some quick tips on writing an effective title and description:
- Make your title snappy, get to the point and tell users what your page is about
- Have a good length for your description, but don’t get hung up on making sure it’s long.
- Include a call to action.
- Match your content.
- Make sure they are unique and specific.
Use Structured Data
Structured data, or schema markup, allows for webmasters to give specific details and extra information to search engines, in return for a chance to appear as a rich snippet. These rich snippets drive higher visibility, engagement and more clicks. Examples of rich snippets including things such as star ratings/reviews, a FAQ, sitelinks etc. This allows your snippet to stand out from your competitors, and potentially drive more clicks than the snippets above you.
Use Images And Videos
Similar to rich snippets, Google sometimes allows your snippet to appear with an image or video thumbnail alongside the description. The same principle applies: this allows your snippet to stand out and catch the attention of visitors, driving more clicks.
Optimise URLs
The URL of your webpage is also displayed in your search snippet. It is important that searchers can see the page and content is relevant to their search term by looking at the URL. You can also “make your own URL” in certain terms using the BreadcrumbList Schema markup. Here is an example of breadcrumbs in action:
It is up to Google whether or not to show your breadcrumbs in your URL or not, just like any other schema markup/structured data.
Optimise For Local Searches
Since 2015, mobile devices has been the preferred method of search, represented by being the most common device for searches on Google. With this, Google has changed the way SERPs are presented to better fit a mobile module, by placing the locality of the searcher and the result as one of the biggest (sometimes biggest) factor in where you will rank. Localised content will also be more relatable for searchers, and they will be more likely to click on your local snippet than a more generic snippet.
How To Increase Your Organic Search CTR
Organic traffic is disappearing. The latest data shows that 50% of Google searchers no longer click through to another website, around 45% of searches result in an organic click and the remaining 5% results in a PPC advert click. That means that for every search that happens on Google, it’s a 50/50 chance whether or not they will continue and click through to another website. Even then, the top 3 organic positions take up half of all the organic clicks, meaning just being on the first page isn’t enough anymore: you need to aim for the top 3, something our own SEO agency in Manchester can help you achieve.
This is a big change, but exactly why are so many people refusing to click through to another website after searching on Google? Simple: in 2020, the Google search results page is designed to steal clicks from webmasters. Content such as knowledge panels, questions, and featured snippets allow Google to use your own content and information to the searcher without them having to ever visit your website. In today’s world, ranking in a high position isn’t enough: you need to make sure your search snippet is eye-catching and makes people want to click through to your website. In this blog, I will outline how you can increase your click through rate (CTR) for organic searches.
Write Effective Titles And Descriptions
The title and description is the first and only thing a user can read from your website without clicking through. It is important to establish what your content is about, catch the attention of the searcher and show them that your website holds the information they are looking for. This will drive more people to click on your snippet and access your website.
Some quick tips on writing an effective title and description:
- Make your title snappy, get to the point and tell users what your page is about
- Have a good length for your description, but don’t get hung up on making sure it’s long.
- Include a call to action.
- Match your content.
- Make sure they are unique and specific.
Use Structured Data
Structured data, or schema markup, allows for webmasters to give specific details and extra information to search engines, in return for a chance to appear as a rich snippet. These rich snippets drive higher visibility, engagement and more clicks. Examples of rich snippets including things such as star ratings/reviews, a FAQ, sitelinks etc. This allows your snippet to stand out from your competitors, and potentially drive more clicks than the snippets above you.
Use Images And Videos
Similar to rich snippets, Google sometimes allows your snippet to appear with an image or video thumbnail alongside the description. The same principle applies: this allows your snippet to stand out and catch the attention of visitors, driving more clicks.
Optimise URLs
The URL of your webpage is also displayed in your search snippet. It is important that searchers can see the page and content is relevant to their search term by looking at the URL. You can also “make your own URL” in certain terms using the BreadcrumbList Schema markup. Here is an example of breadcrumbs in action:
It is up to Google whether or not to show your breadcrumbs in your URL or not, just like any other schema markup/structured data.
Optimise For Local Searches
Since 2015, mobile devices has been the preferred method of search, represented by being the most common device for searches on Google. With this, Google has changed the way SERPs are presented to better fit a mobile module, by placing the locality of the searcher and the result as one of the biggest (sometimes biggest) factor in where you will rank. Localised content will also be more relatable for searchers, and they will be more likely to click on your local snippet than a more generic snippet.
