Estimate the potential organic traffic increase from improving your keyword rankings based on search volume and standard click-through rate (CTR) curves.
Position 1
Position 2
Position 3
Position 4
Position 5
Position 6
Position 7
Position 8
Position 9
Position 10
Page 2 (Pos 11-20)
Page 3+ (Pos 21+)
Position 1
Position 2
Position 3
Position 4
Position 5
Position 6
Position 7
Position 8
Position 9
Position 10
Projection Results
Est. Current Monthly Traffic:0
Est. Projected Monthly Traffic:0
Total Monthly Traffic Gain:0
Percentage Increase:0%
Understanding Your SEO Traffic Potential
For SEO professionals and website owners, forecasting the potential impact of ranking improvements is crucial for prioritizing efforts and setting realistic goals. This calculator helps you estimate the monthly organic traffic you could gain by moving a specific keyword from its current position to a higher, target position on search engine results pages (SERPs).
How the Calculation Works
The projection is based on a standard organic Click-Through Rate (CTR) curve. While actual CTRs can vary by industry, query type (informational vs. transactional), and SERP features (like featured snippets or ads), this tool uses a widely accepted baseline model for traditional organic results:
Top 3 Positions: Capture the majority of traffic, with Position 1 often exceeding a 30% CTR.
Positions 4-10: See a significant drop-off, with CTRs ranging from roughly 7% down to 1.5%.
Page 2 and Beyond: Typically receive less than 1% of clicks, highlighting the immense value of reaching the first page.
The formula is simple: Traffic = Search Volume × CTR of Position. The calculator computes this for both your current and target ranks and finds the difference.
Example Scenario
Imagine you have a keyword like "best CRM software" with a monthly search volume of 5,000. Your website currently ranks at Position 8, but your goal is to reach the top 3, specifically Position 3.
At Position 8 (est. ~2.5% CTR), your current estimated traffic is 5,000 * 0.025 = 125 visits/month.
At Position 3 (est. ~10% CTR), your projected traffic would be 5,000 * 0.10 = 500 visits/month.
The potential gain is 500 – 125 = 375 additional visits per month, a **300% increase**.
Using This Data for SEO Strategy
Use these projections to build a business case for your SEO initiatives. Focus your resources on keywords with high search volumes where a realistic ranking improvement (e.g., moving from Pos 6 to Pos 2) will yield the most significant traffic gains. Remember that these are estimates; actual results will depend on the competitiveness of the keyword, the quality of your content, and the dynamic nature of search engine algorithms.
function calculateSeoProjection() {
var searchVolumeInput = document.getElementById("searchVolume");
var currentRankSelect = document.getElementById("currentRank");
var targetRankSelect = document.getElementById("targetRank");
var resultBox = document.getElementById("projectionResult");
var searchVolume = parseFloat(searchVolumeInput.value);
var currentRank = parseInt(currentRankSelect.value);
var targetRank = parseInt(targetRankSelect.value);
if (isNaN(searchVolume) || searchVolume = currentRank) {
alert("Target rank must be better (a lower number) than the current rank to calculate a gain.");
return;
}
// Standardized CTR Curve Map (Approximate values for desktop organic)
// Pos 11 represents Page 2 average, Pos 21 represents Page 3+ average
var ctrMap = {
1: 0.317, // ~31.7%
2: 0.166, // ~16.6%
3: 0.103, // ~10.3%
4: 0.073, // ~7.3%
5: 0.053, // ~5.3%
6: 0.041, // ~4.1%
7: 0.032, // ~3.2%
8: 0.025, // ~2.5%
9: 0.020, // ~2.0%
10: 0.015, // ~1.5%
11: 0.006, // ~0.6% for Page 2 avg
21: 0.002 // ~0.2% for Page 3+ avg
};
var currentCtr = ctrMap[currentRank] || 0;
var targetCtr = ctrMap[targetRank] || 0;
var currentTraffic = Math.round(searchVolume * currentCtr);
var projectedTraffic = Math.round(searchVolume * targetCtr);
var trafficGain = projectedTraffic – currentTraffic;
var percentGain = 0;
if (currentTraffic > 0) {
percentGain = ((trafficGain / currentTraffic) * 100).toFixed(1);
} else if (trafficGain > 0) {
// If current traffic is 0 but there is a gain, it's technically infinite % growth.
// We'll show a distinct message or a very high number representation.
percentGain = ">999";
} else {
percentGain = "0.0";
}
document.getElementById("currentTraffic").innerText = currentTraffic.toLocaleString();
document.getElementById("projectedTraffic").innerText = projectedTraffic.toLocaleString();
document.getElementById("trafficGain").innerText = "+" + trafficGain.toLocaleString();
document.getElementById("percentGain").innerText = percentGain + "%";
resultBox.style.display = "block";
}
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