# Organic CTR by position: the curve, and what a good CTR is

> The click-through rate each Google position usually earns, why your own curve differs, and how to tell whether a query's CTR is good for where it ranks.

Source: https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/ctr-by-position

**Organic CTR falls steeply with position: the first result earns several times the clicks of the fifth, and page two earns very little.** On the baseline curve we use, position 1 earns about 23.5% of impressions, position 3 about 9.2%, position 10 about 1.8% and position 15 under 1%. A “good” CTR is therefore not one number: it is a CTR at or above what your position usually earns for that kind of query.

## The baseline CTR curve

This is the starting curve inside AnotherSEOGuru App's opportunity engine: a blended desktop and mobile curve for non-brand queries on results pages that show AI Overviews. It is a baseline to compare against, not a law. The app blends it with each site's own curve as soon as there is enough data.

| Position | Expected CTR | Position | Expected CTR |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 23.5% | 11 | 1.35% |
| 2 | 13.5% | 12 | 1.15% |
| 3 | 9.2% | 13 | 1.0% |
| 4 | 6.6% | 14 | 0.88% |
| 5 | 5.0% | 15 | 0.78% |
| 6 | 3.9% | 16 | 0.70% |
| 7 | 3.1% | 17 | 0.62% |
| 8 | 2.5% | 18 | 0.56% |
| 9 | 2.1% | 19 | 0.50% |
| 10 | 1.8% | 20 | 0.45% |

> **Warning:** Average position in Search Console is an impression-weighted average of your top position across every search. A query at “6.4” may rank 3 on some searches and 12 on others, so compare it with the curve, but do not expect it to behave exactly like position 6.

## Why your own curve is different

- **Brand queries** click far above the curve. Someone searching your name wants you.
- **Results-page layout** matters more than position. An AI Overview, a map pack, shopping results or a featured snippet above you pushes the click share of every organic result down.
- **Intent** changes the shape. Navigational and transactional queries concentrate clicks on the top result; research queries spread them out.
- **Device mix** matters. On mobile, fewer results are visible without scrolling.
- **Your snippet** can beat or lose to the results around it at the same position.

## How to build your own curve

1. **Export three months of queries** Performance → Queries → Export. Three months gives enough rows per position without mixing in old rankings.
2. **Remove brand queries** Use a regex filter so your name does not distort the top positions.
3. **Keep rows with enough impressions** Rows with fewer than about 30 impressions are mostly noise.
4. **Group by rounded position** Round each average position to the nearest whole number and take the median CTR per group. The median resists outliers better than the mean.
5. **Blend thin groups with the baseline** Where a position has only a handful of rows, lean on the baseline. Where it has dozens, trust your data. Force the curve to fall with position so position 6 never beats position 5.

The free [Search Console opportunity finder](https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/search-console-opportunity-finder) does exactly this with your export, then flags every query whose CTR is far below its own curve.

## What is a good CTR?

Judge a query against its position, not against your site average. As a working rule, a non-brand query in the top 10 that earns less than 60% of the CTR its position usually earns is underperforming and its title and description are worth a rewrite. A query at or above the curve is fine, even if the number looks small.

| Query | Position | CTR | Expected at that position | Verdict |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hypothetical query A | 2.1 | 14% | ≈ 13% | Good |
| Hypothetical query B | 4.0 | 2.1% | ≈ 6.6% | Rewrite the snippet |
| Hypothetical query C | 12.5 | 0.9% | ≈ 1.1% | Fine: the problem is the position |

Query C shows why CTR alone misleads. Its CTR is low because it is on page two; a better snippet will not fix that. That is a [striking-distance query](https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/seo-quick-wins), and the work is on the page and its internal links.

## Where the curve is used

- [SEO forecasting](https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/seo-forecasting): estimating what a better position would add.
- [High impressions, low CTR](https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/high-impressions-low-ctr): spotting snippets that lose clicks they should win.
- [Traffic drop diagnosis](https://anotherseoguru.com/en/resources/organic-traffic-drop): telling a CTR drop from a ranking drop.

**What is the average CTR for position 1 on Google?**

It depends heavily on the query and the results page. On the non-brand baseline curve we use, position 1 earns about 23.5%. Brand queries often earn far more, and queries under a large AI Overview or a shopping block can earn far less.

**Why is my CTR low even though I rank in the top 3?**

Usually something above you takes the click: an AI Overview, a featured snippet, ads or a map pack. Otherwise your title and description may be weaker than those around you, or the query's intent does not match your page.

**Is a CTR curve from a study better than my own data?**

Not for your site. Studies are useful as a baseline when you have little data. Once you have enough rows per position, your own curve predicts your clicks better.

**Does CTR affect rankings?**

Google does not publish CTR as a ranking factor, and claims either way are hard to verify. Treat CTR as a lever for clicks at the position you already hold, which is valuable on its own.