What is CTR? Click-through rate explained
CTR, or click-through rate, is the percentage of ad impressions that turn into clicks. Here is what CTR means, how to calculate it, a worked example comparing two creatives, a current search benchmark and why a high CTR is not always a good ad.
CTR, or click-through rate, is the share of ad impressions that lead to a click: clicks divided by impressions, shown as a percentage. If an ad is shown 1,000 times and clicked 30 times, its CTR is 3%. It tells you how relevant and compelling an ad is to the people seeing it, not whether those clicks turn into sales.
How do you calculate CTR?
Google's CTR definition gives the formula as "clicks ÷ impressions = CTR", so 5 clicks from 100 impressions is a 5% CTR.
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| CTR | Clicks ÷ impressions × 100 |
| Clicks | Impressions × CTR |
| Effective CPM | CPC × CTR × 1,000 |
Platforms can report more than one click metric, so check which clicks your CTR counts before comparing channels.
CTR example
Illustrative figures for two creatives in one UK campaign, each with £1,000 of spend and 50,000 impressions. The video gets 900 clicks and the static image 1,500.
| Creative | CTR | Orders | Cost per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video | 1.8% | 18 | £55.56 |
| Static image | 3.0% | 15 | £66.67 |
The static image wins on CTR, but the video wins on orders because its clicks converted at 2% against 1%. Judge creative on cost per result, not CTR alone.
What is a good CTR?
Google notes that "a good CTR is relative to what you're advertising and on which networks." For search, WordStream's 2026 Google Ads benchmarks put the median at 6.64% across 13,474 US campaigns from April 2025 to March 2026. Display, social and video placements behave differently from search, so compare against your own history by channel and format.
Related terms
- Creative fatigue: CTR falling as the same audience sees an ad again and again.
- Ad frequency: how often each person sees your ad.
- Conversion rate: what happens after the click.
- CPC: what each click costs.
How Grower helps
Grower's channels leaderboard ranks connected channels by CTR alongside ROAS, CPA, cost and conversions. In the Creative Hub, you describe what you need, compare AI-generated ad copy options and accept the winner into the asset library.
Frequently asked questions
Does a high CTR mean a good ad?
Not on its own. A high CTR shows the ad attracts attention, but curiosity clicks from the wrong audience can convert poorly and raise CPA, and a misleading hook can lift CTR while hurting conversion rate. Judge ads on cost per result and return, and use CTR as an early signal in creative tests before conversions build up.
How do you improve CTR?
Match the ad to what the audience wants right now: use the search term or pain point in the headline, show the offer and price clearly, and add a specific call to action. Test several creatives at once, refresh ads as frequency climbs, and drop targeting that shows ads to people with little interest. Use local language and references for each market.
Why is my CTR dropping?
The most common reason is creative fatigue: the same people have seen the ad too often. Other causes include new competitors in the auction, broader targeting, placement changes made by automated campaigns and seasonal shifts in intent. Check frequency and placement reports first, then refresh creative or audiences before changing bids.
Use your CTR, CPC and conversion rate to size the next campaign with the free marketing budget calculator, and see our guide to AI ad creative testing for running fair creative tests.