Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Search Volume vs. CTR
-
Is it better to optimize based on search volume or click through rate? For example:
If a keyword has a CTR of 19% and only 3,000 monthly searches, while another keyword that is relevant to that page has a CTR of 0.7% and 20,000 monthly searches, which keyword should that page be optimized for for better natural results and the bottom line?
-
I agree with Egol. Conversion rate would be a deciding factor.
Current position and ease of improving that position would also be a factor. Cost of maintaining a position should also be considered.
If all things were equal and you are looking at pure traffic numbers...
Keyword A - 3,000 at 19% = 570
Keyword B - 20,000 at 7% = 1400
Go for Keyword B.
-
I don't know where your data is coming from so it is difficult to give a reply in context.
So, let's assume that you have data from google webmaster tools.
Keyword A has CTR of 19% and 3000 monthly searches
Keyword B has CTR of 0.7% and 20,000 monthly searches
When I look at that data my conclusion is that KW A ranks highly - maybe in the top three... while KW B might be on the second page.
I would reoptimize the page a bit towards KW B if I thought that it would yield valuable traffic.
Always keep in mind that there is another step in the calculation... that if the 19% of people who click through KW A have a 0.1% conversion rate but the KW B people convert at 10% then that could alter any decision that you might have.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
U.S. Vs. Canada search volume
How does Moz differentiate Canadian data vs. U.S. data? I'm particularly interested in search volume. Why is there such a big difference in volume (much less in Canada)? Is this due to population differences or are there other factors? For example, see the monthly volume for the keyword "Business resilience": U.S. = 360
Keyword Research | | BDOCanada
Canada = 6 This seems like a huge difference!0 -
Paid vs Organic Keyword Optimisation
Hi Im wondering whether I should optimise my site with Organic search terms that drive traffic to the site or the paid terms i use in Google search ads?
Keyword Research | | aplnzmarch180 -
Google changes my title in search results randomly, any idea why?
hi all, i recently noticed google changing the title tag of one of my pages in search results for certain keywords... I've done a bit of a search and see its not uncommon, however from what i can tell they usually change the title if it is too long, or they seem to change the branding location etc... In my case they are litterally adding key words to it... Example - See Image 1 - This is my main keyword - the title displays correctly See Image 2 - Another keyword - see how google has added "irrelevant" keywords to the title Any ideas why this happens? fr0PIK7.jpg sv6zWOu.jpg
Keyword Research | | isntworkdull0 -
Plural vs singular keyword usage - on-page optimization
The on-page report card appears to include both plural and singular versions of keywords in reporting the keywords within the body, which results in a keyword stuffing warning. My question is, is it truly keyword spamming to use over 15 instances of a keyword that is spread across plural and singular versions of the keyword? If keywords are lumped together this way by Google's algorithms, why do pages rank differently for singular and plural versions of the same keyword?
Keyword Research | | nathan_lg0 -
How can a keyword has very low search volume (<10) and high competition?
Sometimes I notice in Google keyword tool that a keyword has very low search volume (<10) and high competition? Why would anyone go for a keyword with very less search volume ?? (note: If Checked in Google keywords tool with Exact match) Though I understand this tool doesn't always have exact data but still any explanation to that question?
Keyword Research | | Personnel_Concept0 -
Where can I find data on growth in individual keyword search terms, over tiime?
I am operating in an emerging market, and want to understand the underlying growth in the relevant Google keyword search terms. I can use this as a proxy for market growth. I have checked out Google Trends, but this confusingly shows peak search volumes (out of 100) not search volumes. Are there any better tools out there? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Keyword Research | | JDog980 -
How do search engines score "nested" keywords?
I use "nested" for lack of a better term; what I mean is keyword phrases that contain other keyword phrases. For example, if I have a page that is extremely well optimized (on-page) for the phrase "old silver coins", is that page by default also extremely well optimized (on-page) for the phrase "silver coins"? Or does google understand that I am optimizing for the longer phrase "old silver coins" and somehow exclude me from contention for the sub-phrase "silver coins"? I understand that this gets more complicated when talking about backlinks (off-page), but the same general question remains. If I am getting good backlinks for "old silver coins", am I also getting good backlinks for "silver coins" at the same time? I do understand that "silver coins" may be more competitive than "old silver coins" and so my page may not rank the same for the two phrases. But I am really curious if there is some kind of multiplier effect with nested keyword phrases like the example I have provided, or whether google somehow only credits for the full phrase and not for any sub-phrases contained therein. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! (And sorry if this has been addressed already. I have looked around the site and have googled this question, but haven't found anything useful yet.) Thanks. BONUS QUESTION: Are the answers to my questions above exactly the same when discussing singular versus plural keywords ("coins" versus "coin")? After all, that is a "nested case just like my examples above. On the other hand, I can see there being some special treatment of singular and plural.
Keyword Research | | Kp2221