Why publish a 0.8% CTR?

Because it is the reality of a site on the way up, and hiding the weak numbers is what the whole market already does. An average position of 16 with 691,000 impressions means mostly page-2 visibility: the next gain for this site comes from working the queries already at positions 11–20, not from publishing more.

Is an impression a visitor?

No. An impression means your page appeared in the results — the visitor did not click. A click is not a customer either. The Search Console definitions are stated under each table, and we never mix the two.

Do these results guarantee the same for my site?

No, and nobody can guarantee that. Sectors, competition and domain history differ. What these curves prove: the method produces a measurable slope, and the shape of the curves matches what the theory predicts.

Can I see the actual sites?

The captures are published with the exact period and the four raw metrics. For confidentiality reasons the domains are anonymized until written consent is obtained from the clients involved — we prefer a truthful anonymous figure to a name used without permission.

What SEO actually produced on our sites

Here are the Search Console curves of three sites we operate, with an honest reading: 691,000 impressions and 5,460 clicks over twelve months on the mature site, 0.8% CTR — mostly page-2 visibility —, and two new sites out of zero in two to three weeks. The weak numbers are published, not hidden.

The “our results” pages of the Belgian market line up logos and testimonials. Almost never a dated Search Console capture. Here are ours: three properties we operate, exported in September 2026, with the honest reading — including the numbers that don’t flatter us.

Site A — mature site, content machine for 12 months

2025-09-08 → 2026-09-03

Clicks: 5,460
Impressions: 691,000
CTR: 0.8%
Average position: 16

Daily impressions went from roughly 600–900 in autumn 2025 to 3,500–5,000 in September 2026: a 4 to 5 factor in twelve months, with two clear breaks — mid-February 2026, then a steady climb from June to September. This is the expected shape when indexing follows production: every batch of articles widens the set of queries the site is eligible for.

What the curve does not say, but must be said anyway: a 0.8% CTR and an average position of 16 is mostly page-2 visibility. 5,460 clicks in twelve months is 15 a day. The next gain will not come from publishing more, but from working the queries already at positions 11–20: titles, intent, consolidating pages that compete with each other.

Site B — new site

2026-08-13 → 2026-09-01 (20 days)

Clicks: 5
Impressions: 943
CTR: 0.5%
Average position: 35.4

943 impressions in twenty days on a brand-new site, about 85 a day. The site came out of zero, but the slope is shallow and the CTR reflects it: at position 35 you sit at the bottom of page 4.

Site C — new site, same starting date

2026-08-13 → 2026-09-07 (26 days)

Clicks: 34
Impressions: 1,550
CTR: 2.2%
Average position: 26.8

Same starting date as B, a trajectory twice as fast: 165 to 205 impressions a day, a 2.2% CTR and an average position almost ten points better. The difference between B and C comes down to niche and competition — two new sites on the same calendar do not climb at the same speed.

What these numbers do not prove

No revenue. 34 clicks is not a customer; 5,460 clicks say nothing about revenue generated. SEO produces visibility; conversion depends on the site and the offer.
No guarantee. Sectors, competition and domain history differ — these curves do not predict yours.
No smooth average. Site A took twelve months to reach its plateau; the first three weeks of B and C give a slope, not a result.

What it means for your site

A new site comes out of zero in two to three weeks, and the slope is readable before the first month ends: you will know quickly whether the trajectory is right.
Production alone is not enough: past a certain volume, the opportunity shifts to queries already ranking on page 2. That is title and intent work, not volume.
Consistency beats spikes: site A has published every month for a year, and every plateau break follows a batch of articles. The content-machine subscription is built exactly on that.

see the real Search Console curves