SEO ROI calculator that shows what ranking higher is worth to you
Paste your keywords with their search volume, where you rank today and where you'd like to be. See the traffic, enquiries and revenue at stake and what those clicks would cost in ads.
SEO ROI calculator
What's at stake each month
Add at least one keyword with its monthly searches to see traffic, enquiries and what that traffic is worth in ads.
Clicks by position on Google
Share of clicks for each result in commercial searches (Advanced Web Ranking, September 2026, U.S.).
| Position | Clicks by position on Google |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30.45% |
| 2 | 6.8% |
| 3 | 4.7% |
| 4 | 3.25% |
| 5 | 2.03% |
| 6 | 1.37% |
| 7 | 0.96% |
| 8 | 0.75% |
| 9 | 0.6% |
| 10 | 0.6% |
This is an estimate from your numbers and a public click curve, not a promise: no one can guarantee rankings on Google.
Are these keywords worth going after?
In the free audit we look at who ranks first today, what your site needs to compete and where to start.
Your numbers are saved in this page's address: copy the link to come back to them or share them.
SEO ROI starts with traffic: each keyword's monthly searches times the click-through rate of the position you're aiming for, minus the visits you already get. Multiply the gain by your conversion and close rates for enquiries and customers, and by its cost per click to see what the same visits would cost in Google Ads.
How to use the SEO ROI calculator in four steps
Get your keywords and their volume
Google Ads Keyword Planner is free with an account. Copy the list and paste it as it is.
Enter where you rank and where you want to be
Your average position is in Search Console. If you're not on the first two pages today, leave it blank.
Add your conversion rate and average sale
That turns traffic into enquiries, customers and revenue. The CPC shows what the same clicks would cost in ads.
Compare with Google Ads over 12 or 24 months
Enter your monthly SEO investment and how many months you think it takes to get there. You'll see when SEO becomes cheaper than paying for clicks.
No one can guarantee rankings or timelines: it's your assumption.
Clicks by position on Google
| Position | Mobile | Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30.45% | 16.42% |
| 2 | 6.80% | 4.11% |
| 3 | 4.70% | 2.37% |
| 4 | 3.25% | 1.50% |
| 5 | 2.03% | 1.23% |
| 6 | 1.37% | 0.76% |
| 7 | 0.96% | 0.65% |
| 8 | 0.75% | 0.50% |
| 9 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 10 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 11 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 12 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 13 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 14 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 15 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 16 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 17 | 0.60% | 0.50% |
| 18 | 0.60% | 0.47% |
| 19 | 0.60% | 0.41% |
| 20 | 0.60% | 0.25% |
How the estimate is worked out
- Traffic from a keyword
- monthly searches × CTR of the position
- Traffic gained
- traffic at target position − traffic today
- Enquiries
- traffic gained × website conversion rate
- Customers
- enquiries × close rate
- Value in Google Ads
- traffic gained × that keyword's CPC
- Scenarios
- conservative: 2 spots below target · optimistic: 1 spot above
- SEO vs. ads
- traffic grows in a straight line until the month you reach the target; totals add up month by month
- SEO ROI
- (cumulative revenue − cumulative investment) ÷ cumulative investment
- Click-through rate by position: Advanced Web Ranking's study with September 2026 data (U.S., Search Console data, commercial searches), on mobile or desktop. It's the most recent public benchmark we found; there isn't an equivalent for this country.
- From position 9 the source's numbers move up and down because of small samples: we keep the previous position's value so a lower ranking never shows more traffic. Beyond 20, zero.
- If a keyword already ranks above the target, it counts as no gain and no loss.
- Worked example: a search with 1,000 monthly searches, on mobile. In position 6 it gets 1.37% of clicks (about 14 visits); in position 2, 6.8% (68 visits): 54 more visits a month to multiply by your conversion rate.
Where the data comes from
- Advanced Web Ranking, Google Organic CTR Study (September 2026, commercial intent) · September 2026
- LocaliQ, Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry (2026) · 26 May 2026
- European Central Bank, Euro foreign exchange reference rates · 21 October 2026
Checked on 22 October 2026
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How to cite this calculator
Scalia (2026). SEO ROI calculator. Retrieved 22 October 2026, from https://scalia.agency/en-gb/tools/seo-roi-calculator
Questions about SEO ROI and rankings in the UK
How is SEO ROI worked out?
Revenue from SEO minus what you invested, divided by what you invested. The revenue is the extra traffic times your conversion rate, close rate and average sale. The calculator does it month by month over 12 or 24 months.
What share of clicks does position one on Google get?
In Advanced Web Ranking's September 2026 data (U.S.), the first result gets 30.45% of clicks on mobile and 16.42% on desktop for commercial searches; third place drops to 4.70% on mobile. UK figures aren't published separately, so treat them as a guide.
What does CTR by position mean?
The share of people who click the result in each position. Multiplied by the monthly searches, it gives the visits you can expect in that spot.
How long before SEO starts to pay?
It depends on where you start, your competitors and what your site needs, and no honest agency can promise a date. The calculator lets you enter your own assumption and see how the comparison with ads changes.
Where can I find how often a keyword is searched in the UK?
In Google Ads Keyword Planner, free with an account, with the location set to the UK or your area, or in paid SEO tools. Your average position today is in Google Search Console, in the Performance report.
Should my budget go on SEO or Google Ads?
Ads bring visits from day one, but you pay for every click while they run. SEO takes time and the clicks aren't paid one by one. The comparison shows the month SEO starts costing less, with your numbers.
Does this calculator tell me what SEO costs?
Not directly: it estimates what ranking higher is worth, and you enter what SEO would cost you to see when it pays off. What UK providers charge is in our article on how much SEO costs in the UK.
Do AI Overviews take clicks from the top result?
At the top, yes. In Advanced Web Ranking's data (September 2026, desktop, U.S.), when an AI Overview appears the first result drops from 19.35% to 14.78% of clicks; further down the gap almost disappears.
Want to know which searches you could really win? We'll tell you, with your keywords.
In the free audit we look at how people in your area search for you, who appears first today and what your site needs to move up.
Show me the searches I can win