Free tool
What it would cost to buy on Google Ads the traffic your SEO generates
Work out the equivalent media cost of your organic traffic — and what would change if you moved up positions or improved CTR.
Equivalent media cost of your organic traffic
Pick the mode that matches the data you have. Every assumption is editable, including the CTR curve.
For terms you do not rank for yet: enter search volume, current position and, if you know it, the CPC for that keyword. Without a CPC on the row, the tool uses the average CPC below.
| Keyword | Searches/mo | Position | CPC |
|---|
The scenario only improves: keywords already above the target position stay where they are.
For sites that already rank: use the performance report numbers, with no search-volume estimate.
Total impressions for the period, as Search Console reports them.
The average CTR the report shows today.
The level you want to reach by improving title, description and intent match.
Optional — impressions in generative results
Impressions in AI-generated answers do not behave like traditional search ones. The tool assumes no CTR for them: if you have that breakdown, fill both fields; if not, leave them at zero and the maths runs without the split.
What a click would cost on Ads for these terms. Planner data or your own account both work.
CTR by position assumption
These values are an ASSUMPTION, not a measurement. Real CTR varies by query, intent, device, ads and SERP features. Edit freely — the maths follows.
How the maths works
Position becomes clicks
Search volume times the estimated CTR for the position. In Search Console mode this step does not exist: clicks are already measured.
Clicks become media
Clicks times the CPC for those keywords. That is what buying roughly the same traffic on Ads would cost.
The scenario shows the increment
Moving up positions or improving CTR generates extra clicks — and the difference in equivalent media is the size of the prize.
Equivalent media is not revenue
The maths says what buying those clicks would cost, not what they earned. Treating the two as the same is the most common mistake when defending SEO internally.
The formula, exactly as it is in the code
KEYWORD MODE clicks (keyword) = searches/mo × CTR of current position clicks (scenario) = searches/mo × CTR of best of current and target position equivalent media = sum of (clicks × keyword CPC or average CPC) SEARCH CONSOLE MODE search impressions = total impressions − AI impressions clicks today = search impressions × current CTR + AI impressions × AI CTR clicks scenario = search impressions × target CTR + AI impressions × AI CTR equivalent media = clicks × average CPC BOTH extra media = scenario media − today media media per year = today media × 12
The CTR-by-position curve is an editable assumption, not a measurement — it is the most fragile part of the maths, which is why it is on screen. Search Console mode does not use it: CTR comes from your own report.
Frequently asked questions
No, and the difference matters. If your SEO brings 2,000 clicks for terms with a $8 CPC, buying similar clicks would cost around $16,000 per month. That does not mean SEO earned $16,000 — it means you avoided roughly that media cost.
It is an estimation assumption, which is why it is editable on screen. Real CTR varies a lot by query, intent, device, number of ads and SERP features. If you have your own data, use Search Console mode and the curve stops mattering.
If the site already ranks and has history, use Search Console mode: those are your numbers, with no volume estimate. Keyword mode is for projecting terms you do not appear for yet.
They do not behave like traditional search ones, so the tool assumes no CTR for them. If you can isolate that breakdown in your report, fill in AI impressions and AI CTR in the optional fields; if not, leave them at zero and everything is treated as traditional search.
Because the auction is per term. A bottom-of-funnel commercial query costs far more than an informational one. That is why the tool accepts a CPC per row — and only falls back to the average CPC when the row is empty.
No. The maths runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us. The address keeps the assumptions only so you can share the simulation.
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Want to turn that media saving into a plan?
The maths shows the size of the asset. What moves the number is winning positions on queries that bring customers, not just visits.