Google Desktop CTR Falls as Mobile Rises

Google’s search click-through rates moved in different directions across devices during the second quarter of 2026. Desktop CTR declined at the highest organic positions, while mobile CTR increased, according to Advanced Web Ranking’s Q2 2026 report.

The findings are notable because they reverse the pattern seen in the previous quarter, when desktop CTR was improving while mobile performance weakened.

However, comparisons between Q1 and Q2 need to be treated carefully because they cross the end of a Google Search Console reporting issue that affected impression data and, as a result, CTR calculations.

Desktop and Mobile Move in Opposite Directions

Advanced Web Ranking compared average international CTR figures from April to June with data from January to March.

Across all searches, the combined CTR change for desktop positions one and two was a decrease of 5.27 percentage points. Mobile CTR at the same positions, meanwhile, increased by a combined 6.59 percentage points.

These figures represent changes across multiple positions and should not be interpreted as the change experienced by an individual website.

Single-word searches showed a similar pattern. Desktop CTR at position one fell by 4.15 percentage points, while mobile CTR increased by 7.42 points.

Branded searches also generally saw lower desktop CTR across the top 20 positions, with declines ranging from 1.47 to 3.08 percentage points. Mobile position one was an exception, increasing by 1.40 points.

Informational, commercial and local searches followed broadly the same pattern, with desktop CTR falling while mobile results performed better.

Some Industries Bucked the Trend

Most sectors included in the report recorded the same desktop decline and mobile increase.

Arts & Entertainment was one exception, with desktop position one gaining 2.40 percentage points.

The Law, Government & Politics category also recorded increases at desktop positions two and three. Its mobile position one CTR rose by 17.31 percentage points, the largest single-position increase reported among the industries analysed.

At the other end of the scale, Style & Fashion recorded the biggest individual decline, with desktop position one falling by 13.31 percentage points.

AI Overviews Create A Wider CTR Gap

The report also examined how the presence of Google’s AI Overviews affected organic CTR, using US search data.

On desktop, positions one and two had a combined CTR of 29.05% on results pages without an AI Overview. On pages where an AI Overview appeared, the combined CTR was just 10.04%.

That created a difference of 19.01 percentage points, which was 6.03 points wider than the gap recorded in Q1.

Mobile showed a similar difference at the top of the results. Position one had a CTR of 35.95% when an AI Overview was not present, compared with 8.51% when one appeared.

AWR’s monthly data also shows considerable movement during the quarter. US desktop position one had a CTR of 1.96% on AI Overview pages in April, rising to 10.23% in June.

This monthly variation suggests that a quarterly average may not capture all of the changes taking place during the period.

Search Console Data Needs Careful Interpretation

One of the biggest complications with the Q1-to-Q2 comparison is a Google Search Console logging problem.

Google reported that the issue caused impressions to be recorded incorrectly between 13 May 2025 and 27 April 2026.

The problem affected reported impressions, CTR and average position, although Google said it did not affect the number of clicks.

This matters because CTR is calculated using clicks and impressions. If impressions are inaccurate, the resulting CTR figures can also be affected.

Advanced Web Ranking’s free CTR tool uses Search Console data, and the Q2 report says its tables are based on that tool. This means much of the Q1 data was collected while the reporting problem was still present, whereas most Q2 data came after Google corrected it.

The report does not state whether historical figures were recalculated following the fix.

What The Data Means For SEOs

The Q2 figures show another reversal between desktop and mobile CTR, but one quarter is not enough to establish a long-term change in user behaviour.

Website owners comparing their own Search Console data may notice a similar shift between Q1 and Q2.

Rather than automatically assuming that users have changed how they interact with search results, SEOs should consider 27 April 2026 as a potential measurement break because of the Search Console issue.

This is particularly important when analysing CTR trends across the affected period.

Q3 Could Provide A Clearer Picture

Advanced Web Ranking plans to use its Q3 report to assess whether the difference between desktop and mobile CTR continues or turns out to be a temporary seasonal change.

The third quarter covers July to September and therefore falls entirely after Google’s reporting issue was fixed.

That should make comparisons between Q2 and Q3 easier to interpret, although April’s data means Q2 itself still contains a mixture of periods before and after the correction.

For SEOs, the next few months of data could therefore provide a clearer indication of whether the Q2 device split represents a continuing pattern or simply reflects changes in measurement and seasonal search behaviour.