Double drop in ranking

[kexej28769@nongnue]

Different studies show the starting point in different places, but the pattern itself is consistent and familiar. We know, though, that reducing everything to an average misses a lot. Here’s a dramatic example. Let’s compare the organic curve for SERPs with the curve for expanded sitelinks (which are heavily correlated with dominant and/or branded intent)…


Results with sitelinks in the #1 position have an average CTR of 80%, with a big drop in #2. These two curves represent two different animals. Now, let's look at SERPs with knowledge cards (AKA " uk number data boxes" - entities in the Knowledge Graph that have no organic links)...


The CTR in the #1 organic position drops to about 1/3 of the organic curve, with similar drops across all positions. Organic opportunities are extremely limited on these SERPs.

The opportunity isn’t going away, but it’s evolving. We have to do better. That’s why Moz has teamed up with STAT, and why we’re doubling down on search. We recognize the complexity of SERP analytics in 2018, but we also believe that there’s real opportunity for those willing to work hard and build better tools.


It’s a little painful to admit, but there have been more than one time in the last two years where a client has outgrown Moz for rank tracking. When they did, we had one thing to say to those clients: “We’ll miss you, and you should talk to STAT Search Analytics.” STAT has been the market leader in daily rank tracking, and they take that job very seriously, with true enterprise-scale capabilities and reporting.