-You are seeing your site appear in Google searches; however, no one is visiting your site. This is a great deal of work and money gone to waste if you’ve done all the right things to get your site to rank. Your impressions may be growing according to Google Search Console, but you still have a small amount of organic traffic.
The positive side of impressions is that they demonstrate that your website is being seen by people. There could be a reason though, why users choose another search result instead of yours. Knowing why users make these choices will allow you to increase your organic click-through rate (CTR) and bring in more traffic.
What Does It Mean When a Website Gets Impressions but No Clicks?
When your website receives impressions, this indicates that at least one of its pages has been presented in the Google search result list and was viewed by a user. When someone clicks on your website within the search results, a click is registered.
If, for instance, there are 1,000 people who view your page, but only 20 click on it, then the click-through rate (CTR) for that page would be 2%.
High number of impressions with a small percentage of clicks indicates that your site appears in search engine results but does not generate enough interest. Your SEO campaign may not be unsuccessful. You might just have poor search listing.
Why Your Website Gets High Impressions but Low CTR
There are a number of different variables that may influence the decision of a user to select your site from the Google Search Results.
Your Website Is Ranking Too Low
Your site could be showing up as a search result on either the second or third page of a Google search engine, or it may even show as one of the lower listings on the first page. Although users will be able to view your listing, they are more likely to select links to sites that are located closer to the top of the search results.
You will increase visibility of your pages by improving rankings with relevant content, helpful information, and good on-page SEO.
Your SEO Title Isn’t Attracting Attention
Your SEO title is an early indicator of your page content for users when they view your page as part of search engine results. When you write a generic or vague title, users will likely select other pages to click on.
You should create clear and relevant titles that directly relate to what people search for. Your title will give users a good reason to visit your site.
Your Meta Description Doesn’t Match Search Intent
A meta description will provide a user with a brief understanding of what they should expect from your page. However, if the description is vague, over-general, or unrelated to their query, then the user may not be motivated to click through.
Be sure that you have described what is on the page and explain to the user why it answers their query.
You’re Targeting Irrelevant Keywords
Sometimes a website will show up in search results for searches that have little or nothing to do with the content of the website. This can occur because the keywords used throughout the website are either too general, or they do not accurately represent what the user is looking for.
Focus on the most applicable search terms, and ensure that the content you create addresses the questions that have prompted those searches.
Other Search Results Look More Useful
Users often evaluate different search engine results (SERPs) prior to making a selection. A competitor’s SERP result may have a clearer title, more detailed description, or content that aligns with the user’s search intent.
Review the results of your search on your chosen keywords to determine what content is being provided by competing sites, and where you may be able to offer additional value through your own web pages.
Your Website Doesn’t Build Enough Trust
Even though your page appears in search results, some users will be reluctant to visit it unless they perceive that you are credible. A professional website experience with clear information, relevant content and professional design can give users a much better initial perception of who you are.
How to Improve Organic CTR and Get More Website Clicks
Improving organic CTR begins by knowing what a user sees when your site shows up in Google. Analyze your SEO title and meta description to improve relevancy, specificity, and engagement.
Focus on those keywords which relate to the subject matter of your web page and the true purpose of the searches conducted by members of your target audience. Do not select keywords simply because they may result in more hits (or views) of your website; select keywords that represent useful information which answers questions that visitors to your site would have.
Google Search Console is also a good way to find pages that have a large number of views (impressions), but a small number of clicks (low CTR). You can look at the search terms people used to reach those pages, what their average position was, how many times they clicked, and how many times they saw the page to determine which areas might need improvement.
Many people search Google on their phone. Therefore, your site needs to load correctly, be legible and provide easy access to the information.
How to Find Pages With High Impressions and Low CTR in Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides data about your website’s performance within the organic search result. Go to the “Performance” section of the site to find out about your site’s total clicks, impressions, CTR, and average placement.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to review specific pages as well as search queries, which will allow you to determine which URLs are receiving impressions and have low levels of engagement (clicks). Additionally, make sure to consider the keywords that brought users to each of these pages, and determine if the page title and description used on those pages are meeting the users’ needs.
The information provided will help you determine what pages require attention, rather than just changing everything throughout your site.
Conclusion
If you are seeing impressions on your site and no organic clicks, then your site has gained search visibility. However, there are likely several ways to improve the way your sites’ content appears in Google’s search results. Your rank, title tags (SEO), meta descriptions, keyword usage and user intent will each play a part in determining whether users visit your site.
Use Google Search Console to find pages that have a lot of impressions, but a low click-through rate. Understand why users are clicking off of those pages, and then change the content on those pages so they better match what the user is looking for. Small changes to how you present your site to potential customers will make it easier for them to click on your link when they search for things related to your business.
