How this calculator works
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Monthly visits | search volume × CTR at position × min(1, month ÷ ramp months) |
| Revenue | visits × lead rate × close rate × revenue per customer |
| ROI | (revenue × gross margin − SEO investment) ÷ SEO investment |
Worked example
With these inputs:
- Currency: USD ($)
- Monthly search volume of target keywords: 15,000
- Expected average position: Positions 4–5
- Visitor-to-lead rate: 2%
- Lead-to-customer rate: 20%
- Average revenue per customer: 2,500
- Gross margin: 60%
- Monthly SEO investment: 1,500
- Months to reach the target position: 6
- Forecast period: 12 months
SEO ROI over 12 months: 252%. Ranking at 7.4% CTR for 15,000 monthly searches brings about 1,110 visits a month at full ramp and $105,450 of revenue over 12 months — an ROI of 252%.
| Monthly visits at target position | 1,110 |
|---|---|
| Monthly leads at target position | 22.2 |
| Total visits in period | 10,545 |
| Revenue in period | $105,450 |
| SEO investment in period | $18,000 |
| Gross profit after SEO cost | $45,270 |
| Break-even month | Month 2 |
Open this example in the calculator
Click-through rate by position used in this forecast
Figures are averaged from Backlinko’s study of 4 million Google results, where the top three results took 54.4% of clicks and only 0.63% of searchers clicked anything on page 2. Real CTR varies with ads, maps, featured snippets and AI overviews on the page.
| Average position | Approximate CTR |
|---|---|
| Position 1 | 27.6% |
| Position 2 | 15.8% |
| Position 3 | 11% |
| Positions 4–5 | 7.4% |
| Positions 6–10 | 3.4% |
| Page 2 | 0.1% |
Why SEO ROI grows over time
Paid ads stop the moment spending stops. Rankings, once earned, keep bringing traffic for months or years with lower maintenance effort, so the cost per lead from SEO typically falls over time.
That is why a 12-month forecast often understates SEO’s value. Try 24 or 36 months to see the compounding effect.
Making the forecast realistic
- Use search volume for keywords you can realistically rank for, not the most competitive head terms.
- Check who ranks today: strong competitors mean a longer ramp.
- Use your actual conversion and close rates from analytics and CRM.
- Revisit the forecast every quarter with real ranking data.
Open this calculator with your numbers
Every option can be set in the web address, so you can bookmark a scenario or send it to a colleague. AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity can use the same parameters to open this calculator with your numbers and the result already on the page.
| Parameter | What it sets | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
currency |
Currency | one of USD, INR, AED, GBP, EUR |
volume |
Monthly search volume of target keywords | number from 0 to 100000000, default 15000 |
position |
Expected average position | one of 1, 2, 3, 4_5, 6_10, 11_20 |
conversion_rate |
Visitor-to-lead rate | number from 0 to 100 (%), default 2 |
close_rate |
Lead-to-customer rate | number from 0 to 100 (%), default 20 |
deal_value |
Average revenue per customer | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 2500 |
margin |
Gross margin | number from 1 to 100 (%), default 60 |
budget |
Monthly SEO investment | number from 0 to 100000000 (in the chosen currency), default 1500 |
ramp |
Months to reach the target position | number from 1 to 24, default 6 |
months |
Forecast period | number from 3 to 36 (months), default 12 |
Also available as plain text for AI assistants and a free JSON API (OpenAPI spec).
Sources
Last reviewed by the Infikey Technologies team.
Disclaimer
This calculator is provided free for general information and planning only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you enter and the assumptions described on this page, reference data such as published prices may change, and actual costs and outcomes will differ. Nothing on this page is financial, legal, tax, investment or other professional advice. Infikey Technologies Private Limited, Infikey Technologies LLC and their directors, employees and affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of this tool or its results, and accept no liability for any loss or damage, direct or indirect, arising from its use or from reliance on its results. Verify all figures independently and seek professional advice before making any decision. Use of this tool is at your own risk.