Click-through rate (CTR)
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who saw a link, ad or search result and then clicked it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions, multiplied by 100.
CTR measures the step between being seen and getting a visit. A search result shown 2,000 times and clicked 60 times has a CTR of 3%. It says nothing about what happens after the click; that is the job of conversion rate.
In organic search, CTR depends heavily on position, on the search features around your result, and on whether the answer already appears on the results page, as with zero-click searches. A low CTR is not always a problem with your listing.
How it works
CTR = clicks ÷ impressions × 100. For organic search, Google Search Console reports it per query, page, country and device. For ads, Google Ads and other platforms report it per ad, keyword and campaign. For email, CTR usually means clicks divided by emails delivered, though some tools divide by opens, which gives a different figure called click-to-open rate.
In search, the main levers are the title tag, the meta description, rich results and how well the listing matches what the searcher wants. In ads, the headline, offer and relevance to the keyword do the same work.
Average figures need care. Search Console's average CTR for a page combines every query it appeared for, including searches where it sat on page three and was almost never clicked, so one strong query can be hidden by many weak ones. Filter by query and look at results with a similar position before judging. Brand searches, where people type your company name, usually have much higher CTR than general ones, so separate them. In paid search, a high CTR on a keyword that rarely converts can cost money, because each of those clicks is billed. Branded and non-branded figures, mobile and desktop, and paid and organic should each be read on their own.
Example
A plumber's emergency repair page ranks in the top five for a local search and gets 4,000 impressions a month but only 80 clicks, a 2% CTR. The title reads "Services | Company Name". The owner rewrites it to name the city, the 24-hour service and the call-out promise. Over the following weeks, with a similar position, clicks rise because the listing now answers the searcher's need at a glance.
To check the change was real, the plumber compares the four weeks before and after the new title for that one page, filtered to the same queries and with similar average position. The CTR rise appears on both mobile and desktop, and phone calls from the page increase too, which matters more than the clicks themselves.
Why it matters for your business
Raising CTR brings more visitors without ranking higher or spending more, and in Google Ads a higher expected CTR feeds into ad quality, which can lower what you pay. Still, CTR is not the goal. A clickbait headline can raise it while bringing the wrong people, so check that enquiries and sales rise too. It is also one of the few search measures you can influence quickly, since titles and descriptions can be rewritten in minutes and the effect shows within weeks.
Common mistakes
- Comparing CTR across queries at very different positions as if the numbers were equivalent.
- Rewriting titles to chase clicks with promises the page does not keep, which raises CTR but lowers conversions.
- Mixing email click rate and click-to-open rate in reports without saying which is which.
- Judging CTR on a handful of impressions, where one or two clicks swing the percentage wildly.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate click-through rate?
Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100. If an ad was shown 5,000 times and clicked 150 times, its CTR is 3%. Use the same date range and the same item, such as one ad or one page, for both numbers.
Where can I see my website's CTR in Google?
Open the Performance report in Google Search Console. It shows clicks, impressions, average CTR and average position for your site in Google Search, and you can filter by query, page, country, device and date range to find listings that get seen often but clicked rarely.
Does CTR affect Google rankings?
Google does not publish a simple rule that higher CTR lifts rankings, and the topic is debated. What is certain is that a clearer, more relevant listing earns more clicks at the same position, which is valuable on its own. In Google Ads, expected CTR is an official part of ad quality.
