The share of times your page was shown in Google's unpaid results that ended in a click. Search Console calculates it as clicks divided by impressions.
Formula
Organic CTR = clicks ÷ impressions
Example
Meera's category page got 20,000 impressions and 600 clicks last month, an organic CTR of 3%. After she rewrote the title and meta description, CTR rose to 4.5% at the same position, giving 900 clicks.
How you'll hear it
“Position is steady at about four but organic CTR is weak; the title is doing nothing to win the click.”
What it helps you decide
Whether to rewrite titles and descriptions, add structured data for rich results, or accept that a query is answered on the results page and judge it differently.
Where people misread it
People compare their CTR with generic 'CTR by position' tables found online. Real CTR swings widely with ads, maps, AI Overviews and brand searches on the page. Compare a page with its own past, or with your other pages for similar queries.
The story
More clicks without moving up
Meera's 'cotton kurtas' category page sits at about position 4. She checks its numbers in Search Console.
| Impressions in the month | 20,000 |
| Clicks with the old title | 600 |
| Organic CTR with old title | 3% |
| Clicks after the rewrite, CTR 4.5% | 900 |
| Extra clicks a month | +300 |
|---|
Her old title read 'Cotton Kurtas | Products'. The new one says 'Cotton Kurtas for Women, Sizes XS to 3XL | Meera's, Pune', and the description mentions free alterations.
At her 2% purchase rate, 300 extra clicks bring 6 extra orders. At her ₹2,000 average order, that is ₹12,000 more sales a month, with no change in ranking and no ad spend.
The number to watch is CTR for the same queries at the same position, before and after. A CTR rise because you ranked higher is a different story.
Figures are illustrative. The 4.5% is the CTR she observed after the change, not a benchmark.
Work out your organic CTR and what a better one is worth
The example's numbers are filled in. Replace them with yours.
This gain assumes the same impressions and position. If the page also moves up, impressions and CTR both change.
Don't confuse it with
- CTR on ads: same formula, but for paid ads, where you also pay per click.
- Average position: where you appear; CTR is whether people choose you once you appear.
Related terms
Want to use this at work? AI-led SEO Excellence is aFactor's 16-week program for SEO work.
Sources
- What are impressions, position, and clicks?, Search Console Help
- Performance report (Search results), Search Console Help