How to Measure CTR in Natural Search
Click-through rate (CTR) is a measurement of the effectiveness of online advertisements and search placements. CTR is calculated by dividing the number of clicks an ad receives by the number of times the ad appears and expressing the result as a percentage value. Google and Bing provide webmaster tools that allow you to view CTRs for natural search results that they deliver.
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Instructions
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Create Google and Windows Live ID accounts if you do not already have them.
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Add your website to your Google and Bing Webmaster Tools accounts.
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Confirm that you own or manage the website by following the instructions for each search engine.
To verify your website on Bing, upload an XML file containing your verification code to your website or publish the code on your website’s home page by adding it to a meta tag. After adding the code, click the "Verify My Site Now" button in Bing Webmaster Tools.
For Google, choose from the four available methods: add a DNS record to your domain's registration, use your Google Analytics account, upload a provided HTML file to your website or add a special meta tag to your website's home page. Follow the instructions and click the "Verify" button to complete the process.
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Wait for Google and Bing to begin collecting information from your website. Bing indicates that you should allow up to 72 hours before search result information becomes available.
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Navigate to the sections of the Google and Bing tools that display your search statistics. In Google Webmaster Tools, go to the "Search Queries" page. In Bing’s tool, visit the "Rank and Traffic Stats" page.
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View the CTR for each search term that resulted in your website appearing in search results. Check your CTR periodically to see how changes to your ads affect their effectiveness.
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