MediaPost.com is reporting on A study released Monday from Slingshot looks at how SEO position effects click through rates (CTR).

According to a Press Release by the Company it is the biggest study on the subject in 5 years.

The study found that having a No. 1 rankings in A search engine results on average in 18.20% CTRs

Having the number 2 position, results in a CTR of almost half of the 1st spot of 10.05%.

The study also showed that CTRs for each position below the fold returned 4% or less.

“These numbers are significant, considering the huge decline in click-through rates for the top 10 positions,” said Evan Fishkin, head of research and development at Slingshot SEO, comparing the results with the leaked AOL data in 2006, the Enquiro study in 2007, and a recent Optify study, which all showed CTRs above 25% for the first position and higher percentages across the board.”

“Fishkin said the goal of the study is to give clients a baseline model, so marketers know the return to expect for keywords with about 10,000 searches monthly ranking in the No. 1 position.

“That expectation should sit between 2.43% and 76.73% for CTRs. The baseline model or average curve — about 18.2% — gives marketers a low-end realistic value. ”

“Searchers do not make a click on the first search — it may take several. ”

“This means being found becomes just as important as the click, Fishkin said. It’s no longer about obtaining rankings, but obtaining a variety of rankings for all the searches done by the consumer to find the information they need. ”

“For any given SERP in the Slingshot, the percentage of users who click on an organic result in the top 10 was found to be 52.32%. ”

The study looked at keywords with a “stable 30-day position” to find the percentage for CTRs.

The study, began about four months ago is based on more than 170,000 actual user visits and is based on a sample set of 324 keywords.