Google Search CTR Falls on Desktop, Rises on Mobile in Q2

Google’s search click-through rates (CTR) moved in opposite directions across devices during Q2 2026, with desktop CTR declining at top organic positions while mobile CTR increased, according to Advanced Web Ranking’s Q2 2026 CTR report.

Across all searches, desktop CTR at Google’s first and second organic positions fell by a combined 5.27 percentage points compared with Q1. Mobile CTR at those same positions increased by 6.59 percentage points. The shift appeared across informational, commercial, and location-based searches, although results varied by industry.

The report also highlights a growing CTR gap on pages featuring Google AI Overviews. In U.S. desktop results, positions one and two generated a combined 29.05% CTR on pages without an AI Overview, compared with just 10.04% when an AI Overview appeared.

However, there is an important measurement caveat. Google reported that a Search Console logging error affected impressions, CTR, and average position from May 13, 2025, through April 27, 2026. Click counts were not affected. Because Q1 and much of April fall across this reporting change, businesses should be cautious when comparing the quarters directly.