Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who clicked a link after seeing it. In plain terms: out of all impressions (exposures), how many turned into clicks? CTR is your fast signal of relevance—did the copy, creative, and placement make the audience curious enough to act?
Formula:
CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) × 100%
Mini-example: if a banner gets 120 clicks from 8,000 impressions, CTR = (120 / 8,000) × 100% = 1.5%.
CTR sits early in the funnel. It tells you whether your message and context are doing their job before you even worry about conversions or cost. High CTR doesn’t guarantee profit, but low CTR almost always means weak targeting, weak creative, or the wrong surface.
Why CTR matters (and when it lies)
- Ad and placement testing. Use CTR to A/B test headlines and creatives quickly.
- Traffic quality screening. Very low CTR on a “qualified” audience is a red flag.
- But CTR can be gamed by click-bait. Pair it with downstream metrics like Conversion Rate and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) to judge true performance.
Measurement notes
- Count “clicks” as intentional user actions (see: Click Event and Outbound Click).
- Impressions are render events, not just ad requests. Filter out invalid traffic where possible.
- Compare CTR by surface, intent, and audience segment—raw averages hide reality.
Quick CTR benchmark table (illustrative)
| Traffic source | Impressions | Clicks | CTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid social | 10,000 | 110 | 1.10% |
| Email CTA | 5,200 | 156 | 3.00% |
| Display | 30,000 | 180 | 0.60% |
Practical tips
- Align message with page promise. A mismatch inflates CTR but kills Session quality and Bounce Rate.
- Optimize the fold: placement and contrast drive attention.
- Segment by device and intent; a single CTR for “mobile + desktop” is decision noise.
- Track post-click depth with Pageview chains and engagement.