CTR Calculator

Clicks divided by impressions

Click-through rate is the proportion of people who saw something and clicked it, written as a percentage. The arithmetic is trivial; the interesting part is what the number does and does not tell you.

CTR = clicks ÷ impressions × 100

Rough benchmarks

Context matters more than any single figure, but for orientation:

• Google Search ads — 3–5 % is typical across industries, and branded terms run far higher
• Display and banner ads — often below 0.5 %
• Email campaigns — 2–5 % of delivered mail, though definitions vary
• Organic search results — the first position takes roughly a quarter to a third of clicks, falling steeply after

These vary enormously by industry, placement and audience. A figure that is excellent in one context is poor in another, which is why comparing your CTR to a published average is rarely as useful as comparing it to your own last month.

A high CTR is not automatically good

This is the part most guides skip. Click-through rate measures how compelling something looked, not whether it was right for the person who clicked. A headline that overstates what is behind it will lift CTR and damage everything downstream: bounce rate up, conversions down, and in paid search, money spent on people who leave immediately.

That is why the conversion rate matters alongside it. Clicks that do not convert cost money and tell you the promise and the delivery do not match. Enter conversions above and the tool works out both, plus how many impressions it takes to produce one.

How to use it

1. Enter impressions and clicks. The rate appears immediately.
2. Add conversions if you have them, for conversion rate and cost-per-outcome context.
3. Compare to your own history rather than to a published benchmark.
4. Read the working below if you want the arithmetic laid out.

Common uses and tips

• Comparing ad variants. Make sure both ran for long enough — small samples produce large, meaningless differences.
• Tracking search performance, where CTR against position shows whether your titles are working.
• Email subject lines, where CTR isolates the effect of the subject from everything else.
• Watch the denominator. Platforms define ‘impression’ differently — some count anything served, others only what was actually visible. Two platforms' CTRs are often not comparable.

The working, step by step

Questions people ask

What is the formula for CTR?

Clicks divided by impressions, multiplied by 100 to make it a percentage.

What is a good click-through rate?

It depends entirely on the channel. Around 3–5 % is typical for search ads and under 0.5 % is normal for display. Compare to your own history rather than to an average.

Is a higher CTR always better?

No. A misleading headline raises CTR and lowers everything after it. Look at conversion rate alongside.

Why do two platforms report different CTRs for the same campaign?

Because they count impressions differently. Some count anything served, others only what was actually visible on screen.

What is the difference between CTR and conversion rate?

CTR is clicks over impressions. Conversion rate is conversions over clicks. The first measures attention, the second measures fit.