Understanding Google Search Metrics
Understanding Google Search Metrics: A Guide for Business Owners, Non-Profits, and Event Organizers
If you’ve ever looked at Google Search Console (GSC) or had someone mention terms like clicks, impressions, CTR, or average position, you might have felt like you were staring at a foreign language.
As a business owner, non-profit leader or event organizer, understanding these numbers is crucial—they tell you how people are finding your website and how visible your organisation is online. Let’s break it down in simple, practical terms.
Clicks – The People Who Take Action
A click happens whenever someone sees your site in Google Search and actually clicks through to it. Think of it like a footfall counter in a shop—but online.
Why it matters: Clicks are a direct measure of interest. If your event page gets 50 clicks, that’s 50 people engaging with what you offer.
Practical tip: Look at which pages and events get the most clicks—those are your star performers. Consider promoting them further.
Impressions – Your Visibility in Search
An impression is counted every time your website shows up in a Google search result, even if no one clicks it.
Why it matters: Impressions show how often your content appears for searches related to your work. More impressions mean more people are seeing your organisation, even if they don’t click yet.
Practical tip: If impressions are high but clicks are low, your page titles or meta descriptions may need to be more compelling.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Are You Catching Eyes?
CTR is the percentage of impressions that turn into clicks. If 100 people see your listing and 10 click through, your CTR is 10%.
Why it matters: CTR tells you if your page is appealing in search results. Low CTR may indicate your titles, descriptions, or even the content itself aren’t resonating.
Practical tip: Test different headlines, event names, or calls-to-action to increase your CTR.
Average Position – Where You Rank in Google
This metric shows the average ranking of your page for a specific search term. For example, a position of 1–3 means you’re appearing at the top of the first page, while 11–20 means you’re on the second page.
Why it matters: Higher positions usually mean more clicks. People rarely scroll past page one.
Practical tip: Focus on improving content for the keywords that matter most. Even small boosts in ranking can significantly increase clicks.
Queries – What People Are Searching For
GSC tells you which search terms are leading people to your site.
Why it matters: Knowing what people are searching for helps you tailor content and events to meet those needs.
Practical tip: If many visitors search for “local community centre events,” consider publishing more content around your events and community activities.
Pages – Your Stars and Opportunities
This shows which pages on your site are performing well in search.
Why it matters: Some pages naturally attract more clicks and impressions. Others may be invisible.
Practical tip: Use your high-performing pages as a model for underperforming ones—look at their titles, descriptions, and content structure.
Coverage & Indexing – Making Sure Google Sees You
Google Search Console also tells you if Google can actually index your pages. If a page isn’t indexed, it won’t appear in search results.
Why it matters: No index = no visibility.
Practical tip: Fix errors like broken links, 404 pages, or blocked content so Google can see all your valuable pages.
Why This Matters for You
Understanding these metrics isn’t just “techy jargon”—it’s insight into how your audience discovers you.
For businesses, it can drive sales. For non-profits, it helps your mission reach the right people. For events, it ensures your listings are seen by those who are most likely to attend.
By tracking clicks, impressions, CTR, average position, queries and page performance, you can make smarter decisions about where to focus your marketing efforts, what content to create and how to reach your audience more effectively.
At Sayers Solutions, I help organisations like yours not just track numbers, but turn them into meaningful action—so your website works as hard as you do.