CTR
DefinitionCTR (click-through rate) is the percentage of people who clicked your ad after seeing it. You get it by dividing clicks by impressions.
How it works
CTR shows how an ad performs at first contact. In search, it depends on how well the ad copy matches the query and where the ad appears on the page. In Meta Ads, it comes down mainly to the creative and who the ad is shown to. Search ads usually have a much higher CTR than ads in Meta, so it only makes sense to compare CTR within one format.
- Clicks
- 450
- ÷Impressions
- 30,000
- =CTR
- 1.5%
Figures are illustrative.
What it means for you
A falling CTR is often the first sign that a creative has worn out or that people are seeing it too often. In Google Ads, a higher CTR improves how your ad is rated in the auction, which brings CPC down. A high CTR with weak sales usually means the ad promises something the landing page doesn’t deliver.
From our accounts
Ads with a price or a discount in the headline often get the highest CTR in the account, yet sell worse than ads that describe the product. Most of the clicks come from people comparing prices. So we judge creatives by cost per conversion and treat CTR as an early warning.
In Meta Ads campaigns, we test creatives and note in the Decision Log which ones stay and why.
Meta Ads