IS CTR A RANKING SIGNAL AND WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF CTR?

Our hypothesis is that conducting a Click-Through Rate (CTR) campaign, specifically targeting both keyword and brand terms through non-local desktop traffic, would have a measurable impact on the search engine results page (SERP) positioning for those targeted terms. We theorized that by artificially inflating the CTR for selected keywords and brand terms associated with our Google My Business (GMB) listing, we could observe a notable variation in ranking positions. This variation could manifest as either an improvement or decline in SERP visibility due to Google’s interpretation of increased user engagement as a positive signal. Conversely, we also considered the potential for Google’s algorithms to identify and possibly penalize unnatural CTR manipulation, leading to a decrease in rankings for the manipulated terms. Our campaign aimed to explore the effectiveness of CTR as a standalone strategy within the broader context of SEO efforts, distinguishing genuine user interest from artificial engagement. Over the course of the campaign, we planned to monitor changes in SERP positions for both targeted and non-targeted terms, aiming to establish a correlation between CTR manipulation and ranking adjustments, if any. This exploration was designed to provide insights into the viability of CTR campaigns as a legitimate SEO strategy and to understand the potential risks associated with such practices.

CTR is a difficult thing to test because it’s something that can either work quickly or take a very long time and it’s not always easy to tell if it’s the CTR traffic or actions that are producing results, or possibly other factors.

A lot of marketers have vouched for CTR being a signal, but we wanted to get to the bottom of its effectiveness as a standalone strategy, as well as part of a bigger picture.

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