Click-Through Rate(CTR)
The percentage of people who see your ad or link and click it.
Click-Through Rate measures how often people click on a link or ad after seeing it. It's calculated as clicks divided by impressions. CTR is a key indicator of how relevant or compelling your ad or organic listing is to the audience seeing it.
In Google Ads, CTR directly affects your Quality Score and therefore your cost per click — higher CTR generally means lower CPC. In organic SEO, CTR affects rankings indirectly: Google uses CTR signals as one input into ranking algorithms, especially for the first page of results.
A healthy CTR depends on placement, position, and format. Search Ad CTR averages 3-7%. Display Ad CTR averages 0.5-1%. Organic CTR on position 1 averages 25-35% but drops sharply with position.
CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) × 100Your ad gets 10,000 impressions and 250 clicks. CTR = 250 / 10,000 = 2.5%.
Frequently asked questions
Does CTR affect SEO?
Indirectly. Google has confirmed it uses CTR signals in some ways (particularly for the first page), but it's not a primary ranking factor. High CTR on a ranking page is a positive signal; low CTR can suggest your title or meta needs work.
Related terms
The price you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
The cost per 1,000 ad impressions.
Google Ads' rating (1-10) of the quality and relevance of your keywords, ads, and landing pages.
The page Google (or another search engine) shows in response to a search query.
Need help applying Click-Through Rate to your business?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. I'll show you how Click-Through Rate fits into a real growth strategy for your business.
Book a free strategy call