How the Traffic value is calculated

In short

Traffic value expresses organic search visibility in money: for every keyword, the estimated monthly visits a brand gets (search volume × the click-through rate of its position) multiplied by what advertisers pay per click for that keyword on Google Ads. Summed over the keywords, it is what the same visits would cost as ads.

Formula

Traffic value of brand b = Σ search volume(k) × CTR(position of b on k) × CPC(k)
CTR by position as in SEO share of voice (1: 28%, 2: 15%, 3: 10%, … 11–20: 1%)

How it is calculated, step by step

1. Take the keywords with their search volume and each brand's position.
2. Estimate the visits per keyword and brand with the click-through-rate curve.
3. Multiply by the keyword's Google Ads cost per click and sum per brand.

What goes into it

Search volume and positions

From the SEO measurement or the latest rank check.

Cost per click

Google Ads cost per click per keyword, in USD.

Data sources

• DataForSEO Labs (keyword cost per click, from Google Ads data).

How often it is updated

Monthly with the SEO measurement; on the core keywords with every rank check.

How to read it

• A high traffic value on a few keywords means your organic positions replace expensive advertising.
• Compare it with your search advertising budget to see what organic search is worth to you.

Example

You rank 1st for a keyword with 5,000 searches and a cost per click of $2: 5,000 × 28% × $2 = $2,800 a month.

Limitations

• Cost per click is an average from Google Ads and varies by day, device and advertiser.
• Amounts are in USD as delivered by the data provider.
• Visits are estimates based on an average click-through curve.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• Estimated search traffic — Estimated monthly visits from Google per keyword: search volume × the click-through rate of the brand's position; summed per brand.
• SEO share of voice — Your share of the estimated search clicks of all tracked brands: monthly search volume × expected click-through rate of each brand's Google position, per keyword.
• Rank tracking of the core keywords — Google positions of you and your competitors on your 100 most important keywords, checked every morning on the Scale plan and every Monday on the other plans, with alerts when you gain or lose the top 3 or top 10.