Benchmarks and default values
Last updated 2026-09-03
Every default here is editable inside the calculator under Assumptions. Values are round midpoints of ranges reported publicly as of 2025. They are starting points, not facts about your site. Replace them with your own numbers whenever you have them.
Click-through rate by organic position
| Position | Share of searches that click |
|---|---|
| 1 | 27.6% |
| 2 | 15.8% |
| 3 | 11.0% |
| 4 | 8.4% |
| 5 | 6.3% |
| 6 | 4.9% |
| 7 | 3.9% |
| 8 | 3.3% |
| 9 | 2.7% |
| 10 | 2.4% |
| 11 to 15 | 1.8%, 1.5%, 1.3%, 1.1%, 1.0% |
| 16 to 20 | 0.7% |
| Beyond 20 | 0% |
Source: round midpoints of the Advanced Web Ranking and FirstPageSage organic CTR studies published in 2025. Both studies aggregate Search Console data across many sites; your own curve will differ by query type and by whether the result includes sitelinks or rich results.
AI Overview factor: 0.65
When Google shows an AI Overview above the classic results, clicks on those results fall. Studies from Ahrefs and Seer Interactive in 2025 reported drops of roughly a third for position 1 on informational queries. The default multiplies classic clicks by 0.65 for keywords you mark as having an AI Overview.
Citation click rate: 6%
The share of searches that click a source cited inside an AI Overview or featured snippet. Published figures range from about 1% to 10% depending on query type and where the citation sits. 6% is a middle estimate.
AI demand ratio: 10%
Used only when a prompt has no volume of its own. AI assistants handle a fraction of Google's query volume, and only part of that is commercial. 10% of comparable search volume is a deliberately modest estimate. Raise it for categories where buyers already research in chat tools.
Clicks per mention: 3%
The share of prompts that produce a click to your site when an assistant mentions or cites you. Reported AI referral rates in 2025 were low in volume, so the default is small. AI referrals do tend to convert well, which the conversion rate captures.
Influence multiplier: 3, conversion factor: 0.5
For every measured AI referral click, the influenced line assumes three more buyers arrive later by brand search or direct visit, converting at half your normal rate. These are estimates. If you can measure brand-search lift after gaining AI visibility, use that instead.
Estimates for blank baselines
- Answer-surface visits: 5% of organic search visits
- AI assistant referrals: 1% of organic search visits
Both come from 2025 reports by analytics vendors on the share of site traffic arriving from AI sources. The share is growing, so check your own GA4 referrals first.
Growth scenarios
Conservative 15%, moderate 35% and ambitious 60% are scenario choices, not benchmarks. They describe how much each channel grows once the program has had time to work. Type your own figure whenever you have a better basis.
Industry presets
| Preset | Conversion rate | Value per conversion | Cost per click |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B software | 2.0% | $500 | $4.00 |
| Ecommerce | 2.5% | $85 | $1.50 |
| Professional services | 3.0% | $400 | $5.00 |
| Local services | 5.0% | $250 | $4.50 |
| Other | 2.0% | $100 | $3.00 |
Sources: conversion rates are round midpoints of the Ruler Analytics and Unbounce conversion benchmark reports for 2024 and 2025. Values per conversion are illustrative: average order value for ecommerce, lead value (deal size times close rate) for the rest. Cost per click figures are round midpoints of the WordStream Google Ads benchmarks for 2025. Your own numbers beat all of these.