CTR and SERP: Definitions, uses and links

The terms CTR and SERP are no longer necessary to introduce to people who work in SEO. They are indeed quite common acronyms in the field of SEO and allow to have an eye on the traffic and the visibility of contents on the web. It is still necessary to provide the necessary information to allow novices to know the definitions, uses and relationships between the CTR and the SERP.
SERP et CTR

June 11, 2021

lsandil

CTR or Click Through Rate

What is CTR?

Click Through Rate, CTR is the number of clicks that a content gets on search engines. It is an essential technique in the field of digital marketing. You can publish 1000 advertisements on the same product but if they receive only 10 clicks from Internet users, the CTR rate is only 1%. The CTR can therefore justify the effectiveness of a communication strategy on the web, whether for e-commerce stores or other online services.

Why use the CTR?

The CTR is useful for different reasons:

  • To adopt the right digital communication strategy;
  • To improve advertising techniques;
  • To better anticipate sales and audience interaction;

How to increase the click-through rate?

There are three effective ways to increase the CTR of a link or a content:

    • Add hyperlinks in content;
    • Place links in the first paragraph or in the first h2 to be more visible;
    • Display an attractive content, a good structuring and especially a relevant and catchy h1 title;

SERP or Search Engine Results Page

What is SERP?

We can easily translate the term SERP by search engine results page. The page that is displayed depends on the searches and keywords used by Internet users. Often, on the first page, the best referenced links are displayed, which best answer the queries. The SERP contains mainly links to pages where users can find the results and information they are looking for.

Why do you want to be placed on the first SERP?

For the owners of websites and pages, being displayed on the first page of SERP is a real struggle. Indeed, Internet users are often content to consult the links that appear first without taking into account the other results, knowing that these are often the most relevant results. Again, it should be noted that often the first three or four links of the SERP have more advantages. If users get the information they are looking for in these links, the other links will remain useless, even if they all belong to the same search results page.

What is the relationship between CTR and SERP?

CTR and SERP are two complementary elements in SEO. A content with a high click-through rate will manage to rank better in the SERP and gain a position that will further increase its visibility. On the other hand, a link that is placed in the SERP will also attract more users and increase its CTR. Studies show that with a click-through rate of about 28%, a link can easily have the first position in the search engine results. To be placed in the second position, the CTR rate is about 15%. From the tenth position, the number of clicks is already quite low, often less than 3%. Basically, as the CTR decreases, the position of the link in the SERP becomes less and less visible.