Clickstream Estimated Traffic Volume (clickstream_etv) estimates website traffic volume that a certain group of keywords can drive. It is based on clickstream data and displays the approximate number of monthly visits a keyword or keywords can bring to a website.

Clickstream data refers to information collected while a user navigates the Internet. It captures terms that users enter in the search bar, the sequence of pages visited, the duration spent on each page, and interactions such as clicks and searches. This data is collected and aggregated via various plugins, extensions, and other applications.

The clickstream_etv metric appears in the following endpoints:

• Categories For Domain
• Ranked Keywords
• Domain Intersection
• Page Intersection
• Subdomains
• Relevant Pages
• Competitors Domain
• Historical Rank Overview

In particular, clickstream data is helpful for better estimation of website traffic volume in combination with data from other sources. Moreover, you can include clickstream estimated search volume data in your SEO application to provide users with more detailed data on estimated traffic to a website.

The clickstream search volume calculation is similar to the calculation of Estimated Traffic Volume (ETV). However, certain differences are worth noting.

How clickstream_etv is calculated

The core difference is that clickstream_etv is calculated using the clickstream search volume of all keywords the website is ranking for. We calculate clickstream search volume for keywords by combining clickstream data from our dataset with a special coefficient, which itself is derived from various factors like the correlation between the number of devices and users.

Then, we multiply the keywords’ clickstream search volume by the search result’s click-through rate coefficient.

Clickstream ETV = Clickstream search volume * CTR coefficient

The CTR coefficient depends on a website’s rank_group (ranking position).

Website position	CTR coefficient
1	0.304
2	0.162
3	0.0973
4	0.0659
5	0.0469
6	0.0338
7	0.0256
8	0.0197
9	0.015
10	0.0113
11	0.0091
12	0.0075
13	0.0059
14	0.0056
15	0.0051
16	0.0043
17	0.0043
18	0.0033
19	0.0027
20	0.0024
21	0.0023
22	0.0022
23	0.0021

For positions 23 – 100, the coefficient is 0.0021.

If SERP contains paid results, the outcome should be additionally multiplied by one of the following coefficients.

Please note that we consider paid elements only. Shopping, popular_products, knowledge_graph_shopping_item, and other advanced paid elements are not taken into account.

Website position	Coefficient
1	0.76
2	0.78
3	0.81
4	0.86
5	0.91
6	0.93
7	0.96
8	0.978
9	0.97
10	0.95
11	0.94

For positions 11 – 100, the coefficient remains 0.94.

So if your website ranks, say, third in organic search for a keyword with a clickstream search volume of 3200, your clickstream ETV for this keyword will be:

• If there are no ads — 3200 * 0.0973 = 311.36
• If there are ads — 3200 * 0.0973 * 0.81 = 252.202

 
However, when it comes to calculating clickstream ETV for paid search only, we use completely different coefficients.

Paid result position	Coefficient
1	0.0711
2	0.03
3	0.0219
4	0.0215
5	0.0161
6	0.0104
7	0.0089
8	0.0075
9	0.0055
10	0.005

So if you run a PPC campaign for a keyword with a search volume of 3200, and your ad is displayed first in SERP, your estimated paid monthly traffic for this keyword will be: 3200 * 0.0711 = 227.52.

Please note that to retrieve results for clickstream_etv field, the parameter include_clickstream_data must be set to true. With this parameter enabled, you will be charged double the price for the request.

That’s how DataForSEO Labs API calculates clickstream ETV for organic and paid search. To learn more about clickstream data and clickstream-based metrics in DataForSEO Labs endpoints, see this Help Center article.