Slingshot Study Shows Google SERP Superiority

Michael Garrity — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Recently, Slingshot SEO conducted a study on user behavior in an attempt to determine the impact of page-one search engine rankings on organic click-through rates (CTRs). The results of said study were released in a white paper entitled "A Tale of Two Studies: Establishing Google & Bing Click-Through Rates."

As the title indicates, the primary purpose of the study was to look at the differences in CTRs between the two major U.S. search engines, industry-leader Google and the Microsoft-owned Bing, and how they can help quantify return on investment (ROI) from SEO campaigns.

Slingshot decided to address its research by looking to answer a series of questions pertaining to observed CTR curves for organic U.S. results on both search engines and how they compare to each other, among other things related to user behavior.

Since the company sees organic CTR on search engines as one of the best metrics for measuring user engagement, and since Google and Bing are host to approximately 95% of all search engine inquiries, this study was meant to provide a perspective on just how valuable a page one ranking can be on either site.

Some of the hard data presented in the white paper includes:

- Google SERPs showed an observed CTR of 18.2 percent for number one rankings and 10.05 percent for number two rankings.

- Bing SERPs showed an observed CTR of 9.66 percent for number one rankings and 5.51 percent for number two rankings.

- The total average CTR for first page organic search results on Google is 52.32 percent.

- The total average CTR for first page organic search results on Bing is 26.32 percent.

- Each month, about 117 million searches in Bing are for the term "google." (Hint: that's not a great sign of user loyalty.)

The evidence clearly shows that users are far more trusting of Google's search results, especially on page one, than they are of what Bing has to offer. According to the report, after studying user behavior based on CTRs, Slingshot wants to "emphasize the importance of ranking in the top ten positions in Google SERPs."

To read the full report, click the above link or just go here.

CTR Study Reveals the Value of Search Rankings

Linc Wonham — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:30:00 GMT

Slingshot SEO has released the largest click-through rate (CTR) study of the last five years, striving to give marketers a better understanding of what to expect in terms of website traffic as it relates to search rankings.

“Conducted over the last six months, our study will help marketers better define the value of SEO to a brand’s budget,” explains Evan Fishkin, head of research and development for Slingshot SEO. “By establishing a reliable CTR curve, you have valuable data in estimating the amount of traffic your website will receive.”

Based on a sample set of 324 keywords, the Slingshot SEO study reveals an 18.2-percent CTR for a No. 1 search engine rank and 10.05-percent CTR for the second position. CTR for each position below the fold was observed to be below 4 percent.

The last comprehensive study using actual traffic data, rankings and search volume was conducted using leaked AOL Search data in 2006. That study, however, occurred before recent algorithm updates, a new user interface, increased mobile search, the addition of social signals and blended SERPs with videos, news, places, images and shopping results.

To be considered for the study, a keyword phrase had to have a stable first-page ranking (1-10) in the search engine ranking page for a 30-day period. Because more changes are expected as search evolves, including changes Google is considering to its user interface, this study will be an ongoing project that will compare with future search engine ranking pages and also compare with other CTR studies.

Full study results are available on the Slingshot SEO website.

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Slingshot Study Shows Google SERP Superiority

CTR Study Reveals the Value of Search Rankings