Even for those with limited SEO knowledge, it is intuitive to realize the importance of getting your site ranked on the first page of Google search engine results pages. But just how will a high ranking differentiate your business from competitors? According to Slingshot SEO, the top listing on Google results pages gets 18.2% of clicks (as seen in the graph below), which is only half of the 36.4% click-through rate previously reported by Optify. Due to the drastic difference in these estimations, many people are left wondering exactly how these numbers were determined and how this may affect their search engine optimization campaigns.
Source: Search Engine Watch
Many factors could attribute to the difference in click-through rates for the top position as reported by Slingshot SEO and Optify, which are compared to an earlier study by Enquiro in the following table. The research conducted by the two companies could have been affected by the season in which it was done, the use of long-tail keywords, user perceptions, the datasets studied, or differences in mathematical methods.
Source: Search Engine Watch
Regardless of the reasons for the different findings, there is one important takeaway from each study: Get your site ranked in one of the top 3 positions. Slingshot SEO determined that the top 3 results get about 68% of all clicks on the first page, while Optify reported a similar 65%. Although the exact value of the top ranking is still up for debate, both Slingshot SEO and Optify conclude that the top 3 positions should be sought after by all companies employing organic search engine optimization strategies.
These contradictory findings will encourage additional studies and analyses involving keywords and key phrases, search engine optimization strategy, and Google analytics trends, which will undoubtedly benefit all professionals navigating through the ever-evolving world of online marketing.