Adapting to Falling Organic Search Clicks

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New analysis shows a steady and continuing decline in click-through rates (CTRs) on Google organic search results. This decline is more pronounced on mobile devices than on desktop, with a 26% drop in CTR from 2016–2018. This drop is accompanied by a growth in paid clicks. Search Engine Land has a full breakdown of the data, which was compiled by Jumpshot and Sparktoro.
LEVEL INSIGHT
The loss of these clicks can be attributed to increased search real estate being occupied by Google’s efforts to keep users in-platform, through map results, answer boxes, carousels, and search ads that push organic results further and further down the page. It’s no surprise that the limited screen space of mobile devices hits results hardest.

This trend drives home the importance of tailored, tested paid search ads, instead of relying solely on organic search. Your organization may have excellent search engine results page position, and still be inched off-screen. Talk to your agency partner about building the right mix of search ads.

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