CTR (click-through rate)
CTR stands for click-through rate: the percentage of people who click on your ad or search result after seeing it. You divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions, times one hundred.
- 3 min read
What is CTR?
CTR, the click-through rate, shows how appealing your ad or search result is. If your ad is shown a thousand times and forty people click on it, your CTR is four percent. Each time your ad appears is called an impression.
You come across CTR in several places. In Google Ads you see it per campaign, ad and keyword. In Google Search Console you see the CTR of your regular search results, so of your SEO. And in Meta and LinkedIn you see how often people click on your social ads.
Why CTR matters for your business
CTR is an early signal. It tells you whether your message lands with the people who see it, before they even reach your website. A low CTR means your ad is being shown, but searchers are choosing a competitor.
In Google Ads, CTR also counts towards your Quality Score. Expected click-through rate is one of the three components. A higher CTR can therefore lead to a lower cost per click and a better position. With SEO it works indirectly: an appealing title and description in the search results bring in more visitors from the same position.
Even so, CTR is never the end goal. An ad that gets everyone to click but nobody to call only costs money. A high CTR is only valuable if the right people click.
How CTR works
Your CTR depends on three things: where you appear, who you are shown to and what you say. At the top of the results you naturally get more clicks than at the bottom. With a search that matches your service exactly, more people click than with a vague search. And an ad that literally answers the searcher’s question beats a generic text.
An example. Say a roofer has an ad with the headline “Dakdekker nodig? Neem contact op” for all keywords. The CTR stays low. For the search “daklekkage”, the roofer creates a dedicated ad: “Daklekkage? Vandaag nog iemand op je dak”, with the region and the number of years of experience in the description, and extensions with a phone number, reviews and links to emergency service and roof repair. The CTR on that search rises clearly. Because the text is specific, mainly people with a leak click, and fewer people looking for something quite different.
Look at the device too. On mobile, searchers see fewer ads at once and tap a call button faster. An ad with a phone number can get a much higher CTR there than on a computer.
That last point matters. A good ad text attracts the right clickers and puts off the wrong ones. If you do not take on small jobs, you can simply say so in the ad. The CTR may dip slightly, but the share of usable enquiries goes up.
Common mistakes with CTR
Treating CTR as the goal. A shouty ad or a promise you do not keep brings clicks, but no customers. You pay for visits that leave straight away.
Comparing channels with each other. A CTR in the search results is naturally much higher than a CTR on Facebook or YouTube. Compare per channel and per campaign type.
One ad for everything. Generic texts do not really score well on any keyword. The more specific the ad, the better the CTR.
Forgetting extensions. Phone number, location, extra links and reviews make your ad bigger and more informative. If you do not use them, you leave room for competitors.
Ignoring position. A falling CTR can be because you rank lower, not because your text got worse. So always look at your position or impression share too.
How to tackle CTR
Start with the search. Group keywords by topic and write ads that name that topic literally. Put the result for the customer first, such as speed, region or a clear way of working.
Use all the space you get. Fill in the headlines and descriptions of your responsive ads completely and add extensions. The more relevant information, the bigger and more convincing your ad.
The same principle applies to SEO. For each page, write a title and meta description that say what the searcher gets. That is a fixed part of our work on SEO copy.
Finally, always judge CTR together with what happens after the click. An ad with a slightly lower CTR but a higher conversion rates is the better ad. You steer by enquiries, not clicks.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a good CTR?
That differs per channel. In Google Ads search results, CTR is much higher than for ads on social media or YouTube. So compare mainly with your own campaigns and check whether your CTR rises after a change.
Why is my CTR low?
Often the ad is too generic, does not match the search, or ranks low in the results. Missing extensions and broad keywords also drag CTR down. Start with more specific ads per topic.
Is a high CTR always good?
No. A high CTR is only valuable if the people who click also make an enquiry. An ad that attracts lots of clicks from people looking for something else costs money without delivering anything.
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