SEO ROI calculator showing what moving up Google is worth
Paste your keywords with their search volume, where you rank now and where you'd like to be. See the visits, 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.
Estimating SEO ROI starts with visits: each keyword's monthly searches times the click share of your target position, less what you already get. Multiply the extra visits by your conversion and close rates for enquiries and customers, and by the cost per click for what they'd cost in Google Ads.
Using the SEO ROI calculator: a quick guide
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% |
The formulas behind the estimate
- 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-ie/tools/seo-roi-calculator
Questions about SEO ROI and rankings in Ireland
What's the formula for SEO return on investment?
What SEO brings in, minus what it cost, divided by what it cost. What it brings in is the extra traffic times your conversion rate, close rate and average sale. The calculator works it out month by month over 12 or 24 months.
How many clicks does the top result on Google get?
In Advanced Web Ranking's September 2026 data (U.S.), the first result takes 30.45% of clicks on mobile and 16.42% on desktop for commercial searches, and third place 4.70% on mobile. There's no separate Irish figure, so use it as a guide.
What is click-through rate by position?
The share of searchers who click the result in each spot. Multiply it by the monthly searches and you have the visits to expect there.
When will SEO start paying for itself?
That depends on your starting point, your competitors and your site, and no honest agency can promise a date. Put in your own assumption and the calculator shows how the comparison with ads changes.
How do I find search volumes for Ireland?
In Google Ads Keyword Planner, free with an account, with the location set to Ireland or your county, or in paid SEO tools. Your current average position is in Google Search Console, under Performance.
Is it better to spend on SEO or on Google Ads?
Ads bring visits from the first day but charge for every click while they run. SEO takes time and the clicks aren't paid one at a time. The comparison shows the month when SEO starts to work out cheaper, using your figures.
Will this calculator tell me the price of SEO?
No: it estimates what ranking higher is worth, and you put in what SEO would cost you to see when it pays off. What Irish agencies charge is in our article on how much SEO costs in Ireland.
Are AI Overviews reducing clicks to websites?
For the top result, yes. In Advanced Web Ranking's data (September 2026, desktop, U.S.), the first result falls from 19.35% to 14.78% of clicks when an AI Overview shows; lower down the difference nearly disappears.
Want to know which searches you could actually win? We'll tell you, using your keywords.
In the free audit we look at how people in your area search for you, who comes up first today and what your site needs to climb.
Find the searches I can win