CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Metric

CTR is the percentage of people who clicked an ad after seeing it on their screen.

What is CTR, in plain English?

CTR measures the magnetic pull of your headline and creative. If 1,000 people see your ad and 30 people click it, your CTR is 3%.

How do you calculate CTR?

CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100

CTR example

5,000 ad impressions leading to 150 clicks gives a CTR of (150 ÷ 5,000) × 100 = 3.0%.

Common CTR mistakes

High CTR with clickbait messaging will destroy your budget because visitors will bounce immediately upon reaching your landing page. CTR measures curiosity, not purchase intent.

What is a good CTR?

CTR depends heavily on format and intent — search ads on branded queries earn far higher CTRs than social feed ads — so compare against your own campaigns of the same type. A CTR that falls while frequency rises is a classic sign of creative fatigue.

CTR FAQs

How do you calculate CTR?

Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100: 150 clicks from 10,000 impressions is a 1.5% CTR.

Does a high CTR mean an ad is good?

Not by itself. CTR measures curiosity, not intent. An ad with a lower CTR but a higher post-click conversion rate can produce more profit, so judge creatives on cost per conversion as well.

Why is my CTR dropping?

Usually creative fatigue (the same people have seen the ad too often), audience saturation, stronger competing ads, or a change in placements. Check frequency and reach trends before rebuilding targeting.

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