CTR Manipulation
by Olivia Pasfield
What is CTR Manipulation?
There are many different SEO strategies which can help with ranking pages and help companies head towards reaching the first page for relevant Google search results. Some of these methods include link building and on page SEO methods to allow for a keyword to rank higher on Google and other search engines. In this article we'll explore a controversial
An increasingly popular, and somewhat controversial method is by manipulating CTR. This is commonly known as CTR manipulation and is a strategy used with increasing frequency in the SEO world. Even though this is a strategy that contravenes Google's guidelines, it is still an SEO strategy that many SEO professionals use.
Whilst we're not endorsing CTR manipulation as an SEO method, we'll outline more information about this strategy throughout this article. There are many different methods of CTR manipulation, this article will outline these different methods, as well as explain how it has become a successful strategy used for some SEO professionals.
Definition Of CTR Manipulation
CTR stands for click through rate, and click through rate manipulation is a method of manipulating search engines, that pages, content or websites are more popular than they actually are. A main ranking factor when it comes to search engines is having a click through rate that is higher than your competitors. Having this competitive edge will signal to Google that the content is worthy of ranking web pages higher on the search engine results pages.
How Do You Know What Click Through Rate To Aim For?
There are various different SEO tools available online which can help you review the click through rate of your competitors, as well as the top search engine results. These tools can provide you with insights to be able to build a strategy to improve your overall click through rate.
By increasing the ratio of clicks to impressions for chosen keywords, you can increase the web assets popularity. Aiming for a higher click through rate than your competitors on certain keywords will give you more chance of ranking higher on search engines.
What Is The Most Popular Method Of CTR Manipulation?
When it comes to using CTR manipulation as an SEO strategy, the most popular method to implement CTR manipulation is by the use of automated software, click bots and CTR traffic bots. This however is a very risky strategy and Google have improved their ability to identify this as one of the SEO tactics used today.
A CTR traffic bot finds your webpage in Google searches, or any other search engine. The CTR traffic bot will then visit the site and send off user signals and mimic the actions of humans.
Well known SEO professional, Craig Campbell also suggests that using mobile proxies can be more effective than regular CTR bot traffic.
How Can You Use Emails As A Method Of CTR Manipulation?
Many companies have a page on their website where they post blog content. And in some cases you have the option to receive either a weekly or a monthly newsletter from these companies. Sending these newsletters with links to these pages is a great way of click through rate manipulation and giving your web page a ranking boost. This is due to the fact that it can drive traffic to different pages on your site.
When it comes to email marketing, a lot of people enable push notifications that notify them whenever they get a new email. This method is more effective on a mobile device as it catches the attention of the user.
It's worth noting that whilst this could be considered a CTR manipulation method, it's very much more natural which is less likely to bear any penalties from Google.
How Can You Use Social Media to Help With CTR Manipulation?
Yet another more acceptable way to effect CTR, on social media platforms, such as Facebook, you can use a combination of both organic social media posts, and paid social media ads to boost your click through rate and deliver more traffic to your site.
Sharing your social media platforms, via email or even just sharing to people you may have in your contacts, can help send real traffic and engagement signals to your website.
SEO agencies find that this is a useful method to deliver organic traffic to a small business site or a local website, and is a technical SEO strategy that is much less likely to alert Google of any wrongdoing. This is because regular posts actually encourage positive user behaviour and provides users with content to engage with.
By utilising platforms such as Facebook you can greatly improve your click through rate. Facebook ads and sponsored posts are great traffic generators for any webpage.
Can You Use Google Ads To Manipulate CTR?
Even though Google Ads is a more costly method of generating traffic to a specific web page, it can be highly effective. Google Ads allows you to quickly and usually very effectively drive targeted traffic to inner landing pages.
Google Ads also calculates an average click through rate, so that you can visually see your CTR metrics. Click through rate is calculated by taking into account the number of impressions and dividing it by the number of clicks to the website.
There are other search engines such as Microsoft Ads which also have a PPC platform where advertisers can drive targeted traffic to their web sites.
Are There Any Risks Associated With CTR Manipulation?
If Google suspects you are trying to manipulate CTR you can get penalised. As mentioned throughout this article, we are in no way endorsing CTR manipulation, if you choose to test this method then research the subject thoroughly before you commit and understand that it directly contravenes Google's policies of manipulation. Various offerings use proxies and VPNs to make the whole process anonymous.
Services such as Microworkers and Amazon Mechanical Turk make available real humans to avoid fake traffic flagging on Google. Microworkers go through the process of typing a specific keyword into a search engine, visiting the webpage and carrying out legitimate actions on the website. Using Microworkers is a popular method of CTR SEO as to Google they appear as organic traffic and produce a positive signal.
Click Through Rate Manipulation - Conclusion
Overall CTR manipulation is a controversial SEO technique that if done carefully and as organically as possible, some SEO professionals are reporting can have a positive ranking factor in search results.
In order to maintain a consistent click through rate, which increases at a steady pace it is important to be consistent and commit to the strategy - search engines are very good at spotting trends and to this end extreme care should be taken to ensure no unnatural spikes occur from CTR manipulation.
