Keyword by keyword
| Keyword | Searches | Now → target | Extra clicks | Extra revenue / mo |
|---|
SEO ROI Calculator: What Would Higher Rankings Be Worth?
Enter a few keywords, where you rank now and where you want to rank. See the extra clicks, leads and revenue, and what the same clicks would cost in Google Ads.
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- No email for your result
- +50 Butter Points
Searches you want to win
EXAMPLE searches Get real monthly searches from Google Keyword Planner and your current positions from Search Console.
Extra revenue a year at your target rankings
—
About — more clicks and — more leads a month.
Clicks a month if all your keywords ranked:
—
You now
— 2
At #2
— 1
At #1
— 3
At #3
Click-through curves vary by study: position #1 is reported anywhere from about 19% to 40%. Your Search Console data beats any curve.
Your full breakdown
Extra revenue a year at your target rankings—
Your Rankings Have a Price Tag. Want the Path to Get There?
Your free Butter Report adds a keyword-by-keyword table, the AI Overview impact on each one, the ad spend those clicks would replace, and our 90-day outline for moving up.
- Keyword-by-keyword table
- AI Overview impact
- Ad-equivalent value
- 90-day outline
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Your full breakdown
The AI Overview effect
- If AI Overviews show on all of them
- —
- If none of them show one
- —
Yearly extra revenue either way. Pew found people clicked a regular result on 8% of visits with an AI summary vs 15% without one (Pew Research, 2025), so earning a citation in the AI answer matters too.
What the same clicks cost in ads
— a year in Google Ads for the same clicks (— a month)
Your first year
First-year extra revenue on that ramp: about —.
A sensible first 90 days
-
Days 1 to 30
Fix the foundation
Technical fixes, page speed, your Google Business Profile and tracking, so every gain gets measured.
-
Days 31 to 60
Build the pages that rank
One strong page per keyword that answers the searcher's question first, written so AI assistants can quote it too.
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Days 61 to 90
Earn trust signals
Local citations, fresh reviews and links from real local sources, then double down on what Search Console shows working.
No one can guarantee a ranking. This order of work is a sound starting point for most local sites.
Get found on Google and in AI answers
Technical fixes, content and local SEO that build visibility over time. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and we never will.
How we calculated this
The formula, in plain words
Extra clicks = monthly searches × (click-through rate at target − click-through rate now). Extra revenue = extra clicks × conversion rate × close rate × customer value. Ad-equivalent value = extra clicks × cost per click.
Example: one keyword moving from position 8 to position 3
- Monthly searches
- 1,000
- Current position
- 8 (1.2% click-through rate)
- Target position
- 3 (6.7% click-through rate)
- Website conversion rate
- 6.6%
- Close rate
- 25%
- Customer value
- $1,000
- Cost per click (home improvement)
- $8.33
- Extra clicks = 1,000 × (6.7% − 1.2%) = 55 a month
- Extra leads = 55 × 6.6% = about 3.6 a month
- Extra customers = 3.6 × 25% = about 0.9 a month
- Extra revenue = 0.9 × $1,000 = about $908 a month
- Ad-equivalent value = 55 × $8.33 = about $458 a month
About $908 a month, or about $10,890 a year in added revenue, from clicks that would cost about $458 a month in Google Ads.
Searches, close rate and customer value are example inputs. Click-through rates are from Visionary Marketing 2026; 6.6% is the Unbounce 2024 median; cost per click is from LocaliQ 2026.
Sources
- Visionary Marketing, Google CTR by position 2026
- Backlinko, Google CTR stats
- Pew Research Center, Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results (2025)
- Unbounce, Conversion Benchmark Report (2024)
- WordStream by LocaliQ, Search Advertising Benchmarks (2026)
- Google Search Central, Do you need an SEO?
Estimates for planning only; based on cited industry benchmarks. This is an estimate based on the numbers you entered and published click-through curves. It's not a guarantee of rankings or results.
Quick answer
How do you calculate SEO ROI?
For each keyword, multiply monthly searches by the difference in click-through rate between your current and target positions. Multiply those extra clicks by your website conversion rate, close rate and customer value to get monthly revenue. The ad-equivalent value is the same clicks times the cost per click.
Four Quick Steps to Your Number
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Enter up to five keywords with their monthly searches.
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Pick where you rank now and where you want to rank, and whether an AI Overview appears.
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Add your conversion rate, close rate and customer value.
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See your yearly revenue gain and what the same clicks would cost in ads.
How This Tool Does the Math
How we estimate the value of higher rankings
For each keyword you enter, the calculator estimates how many more clicks you'd get by moving from your current Google position to your target, then follows those clicks to leads and revenue.
- Extra clicks = monthly searches × (click-through rate at your target position − click-through rate at your current position).
- Extra leads = extra clicks × your website conversion rate.
- Extra revenue = extra leads × close rate × customer value.
- Ad-equivalent value = extra clicks × the average cost per click in your industry.
Where the click-through rates come from
We use Visionary Marketing's 2026 study of Google Search Console data: about 27.6% of clicks for position 1, 12.4% for position 2 and 6.7% for position 3, falling to 0.78% at position 10. When you tell us an AI Overview shows for a keyword, we use the study's lower with-AI-Overview curve (19.2% at position 1). Positions 11 to 20 use 0.063% per position, derived from Backlinko's finding that 0.63% of searchers click anything on page two. Studies disagree, and position 1 is reported anywhere from about 19% to 40%. Your own Search Console data beats any curve.
AI summaries change the math
Pew Research Center found users clicked a traditional search result on 8% of visits when Google showed an AI summary, versus 15% when it didn't (2025). That's why we ask whether an AI Overview appears for each keyword, and why being cited in AI answers now matters alongside ranking.
The default conversion rate
The default website conversion rate is 6.6%, the median landing page conversion rate in Unbounce's 2024 benchmark of 41,000 landing pages. Close rate and customer value are example inputs. Replace them with your own.
What this can't promise
No one can guarantee a ranking, and Google says so itself. This estimate shows what a ranking could be worth, so you can decide whether it's worth pursuing and how much to invest. Cost per click comes from WordStream by LocaliQ's 2026 search advertising benchmarks.
Questions About This Tool
How the numbers work and what to do with them.
Still chewing on something?
Ask a real human. We answer in plain English and never send you down a jargon rabbit hole.
Where do the click-through rates come from?
From Visionary Marketing's 2026 study of Google Search Console data, with a lower curve for keywords that show an AI Overview. Studies disagree, and position 1 is reported anywhere from about 19% to 40%, so your own Search Console data is always better.
How do AI Overviews change the math?
They reduce clicks. Pew Research Center found users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits with an AI summary, versus 15% without one (2025). Mark keywords that show an AI Overview and the calculator uses the lower curve.
What conversion rate should I use?
Your own, if you know it. If not, the default is 6.6%, the median landing page conversion rate in Unbounce's 2024 benchmark. Many homepages convert lower than a focused landing page.
How long does it take to move up in Google?
Some technical and local fixes can help within weeks. Competitive rankings usually take months. Anyone who gives you an exact date without seeing your site and competitors is guessing.
Can you guarantee these rankings?
No. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and we agree. This calculator shows what a ranking could be worth so you can decide whether it's worth pursuing.
What does "ad-equivalent value" mean?
It's what you'd pay Google Ads for the same extra clicks, at your industry's average cost per click. It shows how much paid traffic your organic rankings could replace.
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Turn Your Number Into a Plan
Your result is an estimate from your own inputs. The fastest way to act on it is a free website audit, or a free 15-minute call where we look at your numbers together.
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P.S. Every tool shows its formula and sources, so you can check our math before you trust it.