Free tool
CTR calculator
The short answer
Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions, times 100. 1,250 clicks from 48,000 impressions is a 2.60% CTR. CTR only means something compared with the same channel, placement and position, so compare an ad with other ads in the same campaign, and a search result with results at the same rank.
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Click-through rate
CTR
2.60%
Clicks at target CTR
1,680
Difference
+430
Reaching 3.5% on the same impressions would add about 430 clicks. Compare CTR only within one channel, placement and position: a search ad, a display banner and an organic result have very different normal ranges.
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The formula
- CTR = clicks / impressions x 100.
- Clicks at a target CTR = impressions x target CTR.
- Google Ads defines CTR the same way: the number of clicks an ad receives divided by the number of times it is shown.
Worked example
A search campaign shows 48,000 times and gets 1,250 clicks: 1,250 / 48,000 = 2.60%. If better ad copy lifted CTR to 3.5% on the same impressions, it would bring 1,680 clicks, 430 more, without spending more on reach. In Google Ads a higher CTR also feeds expected CTR, one of the components of Quality Score, and a better Quality Score can lower the cost of each click.
Where CTR misleads
- Position drives organic CTR more than the title does. A page that moves from position 8 to position 3 gets a higher CTR even with no change to the snippet. Compare CTR for the same query at a similar average position in Search Console.
- AI Overviews and other search features take clicks. A falling organic CTR on a stable ranking can mean the answer is now shown on the results page. See how to track AI search visibility.
- A high CTR with a low conversion rate is a mismatch, not a win: the ad promises something the landing page does not deliver. Check the conversion rate next.
- Small numbers swing. 3 clicks from 100 impressions is 3%; one more click makes it 4%. Wait for a few thousand impressions before comparing variants.
- Email CTR has two definitions. Clicks over delivered emails, or clicks over opens (click-to-open rate). Say which one you report. See email marketing metrics.
Related tools
To turn CTR into cost per click, use the CPM and CPC calculator. To see which queries and positions drive organic CTR over time, rank trackers are compared in the best rank tracking tools. Tag every campaign link with the UTM builder so the clicks are attributed once they land.
Questions
- How do you calculate CTR?
- Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100. For example, 1,250 clicks from 48,000 impressions is 1,250 / 48,000 x 100 = 2.60%.
- What is a good CTR?
- There is no single good CTR. It depends on the channel (search ads, display, organic search, email), the position and the industry. The useful comparison is against your own history for the same campaign, placement and position.
- Is CTR the same as conversion rate?
- No. CTR measures how many people who saw an ad or result clicked it. Conversion rate measures how many of the people who arrived went on to complete a goal, such as a purchase or an enquiry.
Sources
Related guides
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