Search engine optimization can seem complex for newcomers. Tactics like click-through rate (CTR) manipulation, in particular, cause confusion and scepticism around what levers exist to control rankings.
By artificially generating high volumes of clicks tied to target web pages, CTR manipulation services aim to make sites rank much higher than before.
But what are the exact mechanisms in which they work? And what types of CTR manipulation are out there?
Keep reading to find out how CTR manipulation works.
How Does CTR Manipulation Work?
CTR manipulation is how someone can generate clicks to a specific web page, YouTube video, or Etsy listing in order to boost performance and achieve more visitors. The most common method is bots.
In the realm of CTR manipulation, there are six different types of campaigns you can run — all serving different purposes.
Here they are:
Google Search
Google Search campaigns follow systematic processes to automate inflating engagement metrics on target web pages.
Here’s the step-by-step process on how it works with Top of the Results:
1. We open an incognito browser window to search Google anonymously, avoiding personalized results. Ad blockers are also enabled to prevent any paid ads from complicating efforts.
2. We search for the particular keywords a client wants their site ranking for.
3. We allow search engine results pages to fully load, letting all listings populate. Then we randomly scroll through to mimic natural browsing.
4. We parse all organic listings to identify the exact URL we intend to boost. If we can’t find the full URL, we’ll extract the domain as a backup.
5. We’ll flip through up to 4 pages of search results to track down the site, clicking immediately once found to save time.
6. Upon entering the target entry page, we crawl the site’s internal link structure and open new pages randomly based on configured logic around depth, time on site, etc.
7. The full user flow, from initial search to analytics pings, mimics natural organic traffic. This repetition compounds effects over time.
8. We tune the locations of browsers, devices, and search volume to find configurations yielding maximum measurable ranking gains. Flexibility allows customization catering to individual site needs.
Our Google Search campaigns execute a tight playbook focused on inflating metrics through repetition, persistence, and performance. Desired ranking gains materialize over time. You can independently verify these results on our website.
Google My Business
Here’s what we do step-by-step when running Google My Business CTR campaigns:
1. We open an incognito Google Maps browser, enabling ad blockers.
2. If GeoLocation targeting is enabled, we set the map area to the exact customer-provided radius so we only see tightly localized results.
3. We search for the specific keywords provided by the client wishing to improve their local pack presence.
4. After accepting any cookies, we randomly scroll through the listings page.
5. We scan all business listings to identify the partial name match provided for the client’s target location.
6. If found quickly, we click immediately. Otherwise, we iterate through paginated results until we reach “No more listings.”
7. Upon entering the customer listing, we first click on Directions to load the map, then navigate back. Finally, we click the website link under the listing.
8. This serves as the entry page. Next, we crawl internal site pages based on random, configurable settings dictating depth explored, time spent per page, and more.
9. The user flows from the initial local search through on-site analytics pings intended to mimic natural organic visitors. Repetition reinforces effects over time.
10. We tune search volume as well as locations of originating browsers and devices to maximize measurable gains for visibility. Flexibility allows customization based on business needs.
Google Shopping
Here’s what we do step-by-step when running Google Shopping CTR campaigns:
1. We open Google.com/shopping in incognito mode, in an actual browser.
2. We use an ad blocker so we never load or click on ads.
3. We search for one of the keywords you defined in the campaign.
4. We accept cookies if asked.
5. We scroll randomly on the page. Or we scroll the infinite scroll until it stops loading.
6. We look for the exact URL that you provided anywhere on the search results page. If this is not found, we will extract the (sub)domain from the URL and look for that one.
7. We click the link containing your domain name. This is the link with the name of your shop, right underneath the price.
8. If not found, we move to the next page and repeat steps #5-7 until found or until we reach the 4th page of the results.
9. The moment the link is found, the system clicks on it. This is the entry page. On this entry page, we will identify several links randomly that we’ll browse next.
10 On all the pages we browse, we scroll randomly and spend a random amount of time. We also browse a random amount of pages +/-1 on the amount you’ve set, so it’s never the same value.
The amount of time we spend is also random and always greater than what you configured.
YouTube
Here is the process behind our YouTube CTR manipulation campaigns:
1. We open YouTube in an incognito browser window using ad blockers to avoid pre-roll ads.
2. We search for the exact keywords a client wants their target video ranking for.
3. After accepting cookies if prompted, we scroll through about the first 50-80 search results to load a reasonable sample.
4. We parse all video listings trying to identically match just the video ID provided, ignoring any other metadata. Matches are assessed in lowercase.
5. If found, we immediately click. If not discovered within those initial search pages, we halt efforts on that keyword.
6. Upon opening the target video, we strategically wait on the page for at least 5 minutes to log view time.
7. Over the course of a campaign, repetition and configurations tuned to client goals intend to drive video rank improvements materializing in YouTube Search over time.
8. Factors like locations browsers originate from, language/timezone settings, and search volume get optimized to maximize measurable gains unique to each video.
Etsy
Here is how we orchestrate Etsy CTR manipulation campaigns:
1. We open an incognito Etsy browser, accepting any cookies prompted.
2. We advise pausing any Etsy ads as they may remove organic visibility, which complicates efforts. We’ve also seen ad blockers misfire on ads, so it’s ideal to eliminate that factor entirely.
3. We search for the exact keywords provided hoping to improve visibility for the target listings.
4. For each results page, we randomly scroll while allocating varying time windows to appear natural.
5. We identify target products and listings either by the listing ID specified or by parsing for the provider shop name if that approach was taken.
6. Upon encountering the target listing, we immediately click for efficiency.
7. If not organically found by page 4, we start the process over with a different keyword to maximize the likelihood of discovery.
8. After landing on the listing, we further engage by scrolling randomly and clicking on a configurable number of product images. We then press Add to Cart.
9. Over the campaign period, persistent repetitions across various configurations intend to drive measurable visibility and traffic gains that customers can validate independently.
Bing Search
This article describes what happens in the background when you use this service to improve your CTR with Bing Search.
1. We open Bing.com in incognito mode, in an actual browser.
2. We use an ad blocker so we never load or click on ads.
3. We search for one of the keywords you defined in the campaign.
4. We accept cookies if asked.
5. We scroll randomly on the page.
6. We look for the exact URL that you provided anywhere on the search results page. If this is not found, we are going to extract the (sub)domain from the URL and look for that one.
7. We click on it if found.
8. If not found, we move to the next page and repeat steps #6-7 until found or until we reach the 4th page of the results.
9. The moment the link is found, the system clicks on it. This is the entry page. On this entry page, we will identify several links randomly that we’ll browse next.
10. On all the pages that we browse, we scroll randomly and spend a random amount of time. We also browse a random amount of pages +/-1 on the amount you’ve set, so it’s never the same value.
The amount of time that we spend is also random and is always greater than what you configured.
Bing Places for Business
This article describes what happens in the background when you use this service to improve your CTR with Bing Places for Business listing.
1. We open www.bing.com/maps in incognito mode, in an actual browser.
2. We use an ad blocker so we never load or click on ads.
3. We accept cookies if asked.
4. We search for one of the keywords you defined in the campaign.
5. We scroll randomly on the page.
6. We look for the domain name that you configured in the business listing result pages.
7. We click on the listing if found. And then we click on the “website” domain for that listing.
8. If not found, we move to the next page and repeat steps #6-7 until found or until we reach the 4th page of the results.
9. Your website opens. This is the entry page. On this entry page, we will identify several links randomly that we’ll browse next.
10. On all the pages that we browse, we scroll randomly and spend a random amount of time. We also browse a random amount of pages +/-1 on the amount you’ve set, so it’s never the same value.
The amount of time that we spend is also random and is always greater than what you configured.
Drive People to Your Content
CTR manipulation is a highly effective strategy for achieving quick results. Say you have a fully-optimized SEO website, but it’s an extremely difficult keyword to rank for.
You write a great article with a video that’s fully optimized, but just aren’t seeing results. This is a perfect opportunity to leverage CTR manipulation in order to rank higher.
Not only will you see better results, but you’ll catapult your way up search rankings because the increase in organic traffic will simply lead to more of it.
Get CTR manipulation today with Top of the Results.