In the fourth quarter, the average clickthrough rate for websites ranked first on desktop in the Science industry was 19.06%, while Law, Government, & Politics websites enjoyed a much higher average CTR of 38.45% for the same position.
The gap in clickthrough rates between these industries has nearly tripled in just one quarter, jumping from 5.96 to 19.39 percentage points. This underscores the dynamic nature of CTR benchmarks across industries and from quarter to quarter. Our latest analysis of Google CTR changes offers valuable insights into potential traffic variations, even if your website's rankings and impressions stay consistent.
Clickthrough rate in 2024 vs. 2023
Before diving into the quarterly breakdown, let's examine the year-over-year CTR changes by comparing average position-specific CTRs from 2024 to those of 2023.
The CTR values were significantly impacted on both desktop and mobile devices at the top. Specifically, websites ranked first on desktop recorded a 1.15 pp increase in CTR, while on mobile, the changes affected the websites ranked second, which noticed a 1.22 pp drop.
Search intent
Websites ranked in the first four positions for informational queries (containing words such as what, when, where, how, etc.) recorded a combined 7.31 pp loss in CTR on desktop.
Simultaneously, the analysis of data from the free AIO tool reveals a significant increase in the prevalence of AI Overviews in Google search results during Q4, rising by an average of 8.83 percentage points (from 33.68% to 42.51%) compared to Q3:
This surge in AI Overviews may be impacting clickthrough rates for organic listings, as informational content is increasingly getting overrun by these AI-generated summaries. While other factors, such as the prominence of featured snippets or ad packs could also contribute to CTR fluctuations, the growing presence of AI Overviews is a factor worth considering.
On mobile, nevertheless, the changes for informational queries went in the opposite direction, affecting the websites ranked first only, which witnessed almost 1.81 pp growth in clickthrough rate.
As for the commercial queries (containing words such as buy, price, etc.), surprisingly, the websites ranked first weren’t quite influenced by the changes. However, those ranked in the second position registered a 1.06 pp drop in CTR on desktop.
A similar trend occurred for location searches (containing words such as near, from, nearby, directions, maps, etc.), where the websites ranked first weren’t significantly affected. As for those ranked in the second and third positions on desktop, the CTR dropped by a combined 3.35 pp (2.10 for those ranked second, and 1.25 pp for those ranked third).
Keyword length
On desktop, while there was no real change on shorter queries, the CTR values for the websites ranked on searches containing four or more keywords experienced some significant drops. More exactly, the websites ranked second on desktop recorded a 1.73 pp loss in CTR, while those ranked third registered a 1.02 pp drop.
On the other hand, on mobile, the changes affected the websites ranked for shorter queries (1-word only), which recorded a 1.94 pp increase in CTR for the websites ranked first.
Industries
To better understand traffic fluctuations across different industries, we'll incorporate search demand data into our analysis. By correlating changes in clickthrough rates with industry search demand, we can pinpoint the factors driving traffic growth or decline, even when website rankings remain consistent.
A website likely experiences organic traffic growth when it sees both increased position CTRs and a surge in industry search demand. Conversely, declining CTRs coupled with decreased industry search demand can lead to traffic reduction.
This chapter will be presented in two parts, based on how search demand evolved between quarters.
A. Industries where the search demand increased
In the Careers industry, the websites ranked in the first three positions on desktop registered a combined 4.34 pp loss in clickthrough rate (1.87 pp for those ranked first, 1.41 pp for those ranked second, and 1.06 pp for those ranked in the third position). As for the mobile queries, the CTR changes went in the opposite direction and affected the websites ranked first, which recorded a 1.46 pp growth. Here, the search demand more than tripled, recording an impressive +334.36% boost.
As expected, the Shopping industry experienced a surge in search demand during the fourth quarter, driven by events like Black Friday and the holiday season. Our search demand tool confirmed this with a +142.88% increase in recorded impressions. However, despite this increased demand, the websites ranked first saw a 1.39 pp drop in CTR on desktop and a 1.96 pp decline on mobile.
The Family & Parenting industry got on the falling slope this time. Here, the top three websites experienced a combined 6.47 pp decrease in CTR on desktop searches (2.96 pp for those ranked first, 2.12 pp for those in the second position, and 1.39 pp for those ranked third). The drop in CTR was consistent on mobile, as well, where websites ranked second lost, on average, 1.52 pp loss.
On a more positive note, this market registered a +117.72% growth in search demand.
Gladly, while people’s interest in Education grew in Q4, being translated into a +91.51% increase in impressions, the CTR values experienced contrasting changes this time. Here, on desktop, the websites ranked first witnessed a 5.94 pp growth, those ranked in the second position registered a 2.15 pp loss, while those ranked third recorded a 1.29 pp drop. Surprisingly, on mobile, the websites ranked first weren’t influenced by the changes, while those ranked in the second position registered a 1.80 pp decline in CTR.
It’s time to turn our attention to the fourth quarter’s highest increase in clickthrough rate for a single position: the Law, Government, & Politics category. Here, the clickthrough rate for websites ranked first grew, on average, by a remarkable 7.39 pp on desktop and by 6.96 pp on queries made from mobile.
Simultaneously, this market’s overall search demand increased substantially, by +68.66%.
With no major changes since Q1 2024, the CTR for the websites ranked first on queries made from mobile devices in the Food & Drink industry, grew, on average, by 1.67 pp. At the same time, the total number of impressions increased remarkably, by +52.32%.
A similar trend occurred in the Hobbies & Interests industry, where just like in the Food & Drink market, after two dormant quarters, the clickthrough rate values experienced changes once again. Here, the websites ranked in the first three positions recorded drops in CTR on both desktop (9.39 pp combined) and mobile queries (3.78 pp combined). On a more positive note, this market registered a growth of +48.45% in search demand.
The Society industry closes out the year with losses in CTR for the top-ranked websites. More precisely, the clickthrough rates for the top three websites registered a combined decrease of 3.66 pp on mobile, while on desktop, only the websites ranked in the first two positions were influenced by the changes, recording a 2.52 pp drop.
Despite recording drops in clickthrough rates, there’s still a glimmer of hope for the websites in this market since the total number of impressions grew by +29.94%.
The clickthrough rate and search demand values went in opposite directions this time around in the Sports industry. The CTR for the top two websites decreased by a combined 3.41 pp on desktop, while the industry’s overall impressions increased by +26.85% in Q4 compared to Q3.
Good news for the websites in the Business sector, which recorded growth on all fronts. With a global +26.75% increase in search demand, websites ranked first on desktop registered a 2.27 pp boost in CTR.
As for the Style & Fashion industry, the clickthrough rates for the websites ranked first registered a boost of 3.57 pp on desktop, while on mobile the growth equaled 1.70 pp. These changes in CTR coupled with an increase of +26.05% in this industry’s overall search demand might translate into a spike in traffic for those websites affected by the changes.
In the Automotive industry, the websites ranked in the first three positions on desktop witnessed a combined 6.34 pp steep decline in CTR (3.57 pp for those ranked first, 1.73 pp for those ranked second, and 1.04 pp for those ranked in the third position). However, the total number of impressions grew by +18.44%.
Being the industry to record the highest increase in clickthrough rate in the previous quarter, the Personal Finance industry got on the falling slope this time. Here, the clickthrough rates for the top two websites registered a combined decrease of 6.32 pp on desktop and a 5.97 pp decline on mobile. Nevertheless, the industry’s overall search demand went in the opposite direction, increasing by +17.79%.
The websites ranked first on mobile in the Pets industry attracted more clicks than in the previous quarter, witnessing a 3.66 pp boost in CTR. Concurrently, the number of impressions for this industry increased by +9.89%.
After an entire dormant quarter, the clickthrough rate values in the Travel industry experienced changes once again. Here, the websites ranked first experienced a 1.66 pp boost in CTR on mobile devices, while the industry’s overall search demand recorded a slight increase of +5.64%.
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the Real Estate industry, which recorded a decrease in CTR on both desktop and mobile devices. The websites ranked in the first two positions experienced a combined 6.24 pp loss in CTR on desktop and a 3.91 pp decline on mobile. It remains to be seen if the slight increase in search demand (+3.00%) can compensate for the decline in traffic resulting from lower clickthrough rates.
Here’s a visual recap of the changes mentioned above:
B. Industries that experienced a drop in search demand
Let’s start this section in force, with the industry with the highest decrease in clickthrough rate for a single position: Science. Here, the CTR for websites ranked first on queries made from desktop devices dropped, on average, by 6.03 pp.
The decline affected the websites ranked in the second position on desktop, as well, which recorded a 1.54 pp drop in CTR. As for the mobile queries, only the websites ranked third were influenced by the changes, recording a 1.46 pp decline, while the industry’s overall search demand decreased by -37.63%.
The websites ranked in the first three positions in the Technology & Computing industry experienced a combined 5.26 pp loss in CTR on desktop (2.37 pp for those ranked first, 1.78 pp for those ranked second, and 1.11 pp for those ranked third). Coupled with a decrease of -20.05% in the industry’s overall search demand might translate into a loss in traffic for those websites affected by the changes.
With a -17.57% decline in search demand, the CTR values experienced contrasting changes in the News industry. Here, the websites ranked first witnessed a 1.39 pp loss on desktop, while on mobile the growth equaled 1.37 pp.
There was quite some activity at the top of the SERPs in the Arts & Entertainment industry with changes in CTR as follows:
the websites ranked first recorded a drop of 1.01 pp on desktop and a 2.28 pp growth on mobile
the websites ranked second were affected on mobile devices only, witnessing a 1.33 pp decline
for the website ranked third, the drop in CTR was 1.26 pp on desktop and 1.15 pp on mobile
Concurrently, the number of impressions for this industry dropped slightly, by -2.57%.
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the Health & Fitness industry which recorded changes on both desktop and mobile devices. The first two positions on desktop registered a combined 3.06 pp drop, while on mobile the changes affected the websites ranked first only, which witnessed a 1.67 pp boost. Meanwhile, the search demand for this industry declined by -7.20%.
Here’s a visual round-up of the CTR evolution in all five industries mentioned above:
That’s it for…the fourth quarter
We've reached the end of our Q4 clickthrough rate analysis, marking the close of last year and the beginning of a new one. This report highlighted year-over-year comparisons and significant CTR shifts impacting commercial, location-based, both short (one-word) and long (four or more words) queries, as well as significant changes across twenty-one different industries.
Finally, yet importantly, this analysis suggested a potential link between the rising prominence of AI Overviews in informational queries and declining CTRs. This underscores the importance of tracking pixel position alongside SERP anatomy and click data to gain a complete understanding of SERP dynamics.
Stay tuned for our Q1 2025 analysis, which will offer further insights. Until then, stay safe and healthy!
Article by
Dan Popa
Dan Popa is an Online Marketing Strategist at Caphyon. He is passionate about both Online and Offline Marketing and he's always looking for new ways of applying the basic principles of marketing in the fast-evolving SEO field. He's always in the mood to chat about new creative ideas for campaigns, so you can find him on Twitter.
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