In Q2, Google’s desktop clickthrough rates at the top organic positions experienced a dip, but mobile rates increased, according to Advanced Web Ranking’s CTR report for Q2 2026.
I covered the Q1 report back in June, highlighting how desktop rates were improving while mobile CTR declined at the top.
In Q2, we see the reverse, in data spanning the end of a Search Console logging error that the report doesn’t mention. Google explained that this error affected impressions and CTR.
What Changed From Q1
The Q2 report shows changes in average international click-through rates by position from April to June compared to January to March.
Across all searches, desktop CTRs in the top spots one and two saw a combined decline of 5.27 percentage points, while mobile CTRs in those same spots grew by a combined 6.59 points. Keep in mind, these figures add together changes from several positions and don’t reflect any single site’s change.
For single-word queries, desktop CTR at position one dipped by 4.15 points, but mobile increased by 7.42 points. All top 20 desktop branded query CTRs dropped between 1.47 and 3.08 points each, yet mobile position one saw a positive rise of 1.40 points. For informational, commercial, and location queries, desktop CTRs also saw a decrease, but mobile CTRs performed better.
Industry results mostly followed the split. Arts & Entertainment was an exception, gaining 2.40 points at desktop position one. Law, Government, & Politics gained at desktop positions two and three and had the largest single-position increase among industries, with mobile position one up 17.31 points. The largest single-position drop was 13.31 points, at desktop position one in Style & Fashion.
How AI Overview Pages Compared
The Q2 report looks at how CTR varies with the presence of an AI Overview, focusing on U.S. data only.
On desktop, the combined CTR for positions one and two was 29.05% on results pages without an AI Overview, while it was 10.04% on pages that included one. The resulting 19.01-point difference was 6.03 points larger than in Q1, according to the report. On mobile, position one had a 35.95% CTR without an AI Overview and 8.51% with one.
The company’s monthly CTR figures put U.S. desktop position one at a 1.96% CTR on AI Overview pages in April and 10.23% in June, a spread the quarterly figures don’t show.
The Comparison Crosses The End Of A Search Console Error
Google’s Search Console help page explains that a logging error caused impressions to be reported inaccurately from May 13, 2025, to April 27, 2026. This issue affected the CTR and average position, but it didn’t impact the number of clicks. I covered this in April when Google announced the problem.
Additionally, AWR points out that its free CTR tool uses data from Search Console, and their Q2 report credits its tables to that tool. This suggests that all the data from Q1 was within the error range, while most of the Q2 data came after the fix. Since CTR is calculated by dividing clicks by impressions, it depends on the impressions Google says were misreported. The report doesn’t specify whether the figures were updated after the error was fixed.
Why This Matters
AWR’s reports show that desktop and mobile CTRs split once more, this time in reverse. Remember, data from just one quarter isn’t enough to confidently predict CTR by device.
You might see the same break in your own Search Console comparisons, since Google’s impression error persisted until April 27. Keep this date in mind as a possible measurement break, rather than a sign of people clicking differently.
Looking Ahead
AWR mentions that its Q3 report will determine if the device split seen in Q2 is “a permanent trend or a temporary seasonal spike.”
Since Q3 covers July to September, it occurs entirely after Google’s correction. When analyzing or comparing Q3 and Q2 data, either in the upcoming report or your own review, keep in mind that most of April is still included, and the error continued during that time.
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