Organic CTR is a metric of your website’s performance in the search results. Available to view in Google Search Console (formerly known as Webmaster Tools), it reflects the percentage of users who click your website in the search engine results pages (SERPs). With a higher CTR, you’ll attract more traffic to your website — and search engines may reward your site by increasing its search rankings. Below are five simple ways to improve your website’s organic CTR.
#1) Upgrade to HTTPS
Upgrading your website to HTTPS instills confidence and trust in search engine users, which may compel them to click your website’s listing. Statistics show that over nine in 10 websites currently use HTTPS. Unlike HTTP, this modern protocol contains enhanced security measures, including encryption, to protect users’ data and privacy. By using HTTPS on your website, search engines will display the “HTTPS” prefix in your website’s listings, which users will see when scanning the SERPs.
#2) Create Relevant Title Tags
The title tag can affect a page’s organic CTR. When building your website, create a relevant and meaningful title tag that describes the page’s main focus. Search engines like Google and Bing will pull your website’s title tags to create the titles of your pages’ search listings. According to Moz, search engines display a maximum of 60 characters, so avoid making your title tags longer than 60 characters.
#3) Create Relevant Meta Descriptions
In addition to title tags, you should also create relevant meta descriptions for your pages. Search engines pull and use meta descriptions for the description section of your website’s listings. Therefore, it too can affect your website’s organic CTR. Each page on your website should have a relevant, meaningful and unique meta description. With that said, you can make your meta descriptions a little longer than your title tags, as search engines typically display up to 300 characters.
#4) Optimize URL Slugs
Your website’s URL slugs — the part of your site’s address proceeding the domain — can influence whether or not users click your listings. If your website has poorly constructed URL slugs featuring a combination of random numbers and letters, it won’t compel users to click your listings. To achieve a higher organic CTR, use SEO-friendly URL slugs that contain relevant keywords about the page’s content.
#5) Speed Up Your Website
The speed at which your website loads can affect its organic CTR. If your website has long and sluggish load times, users may abandon it before it’s finished loading. And if a user doesn’t finish loading your website, it won’t count as a click, meaning it will lower your website’s overall organic CTR.
