Click-Through Rate Formula: How to Calculate CTR

Click-through rate (CTR) = (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100. If your link, ad, or search result was shown 1,000 times and got 25 clicks, that's (25 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 2.5% CTR. It's a measure of how compelling something is at getting noticed and clicked — not whether the click led anywhere useful afterward.

The formula

CTR = (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100, expressed as a percentage. An impression is one instance of something being shown — a search result appearing on a results page, an ad being rendered, an email being opened (for email CTR, the denominator is usually opens or sends, depending on how the platform defines it).

The formula stays the same everywhere it's used; what changes is what counts as an "impression" and what counts as a "click" in each context.

Where CTR applies

Search (organic). In Google Search Console, CTR is clicks ÷ impressions for a given query or page — how often people who saw your result in the search results actually clicked it. This is one of the more directly actionable SEO metrics, since a page ranking well but getting a low CTR usually points to a weak title tag or meta description rather than a ranking problem.

Paid ads. In Google Ads or Meta Ads, CTR is clicks ÷ impressions for an ad. It's one of the signals platforms use to judge ad relevance and quality — a low CTR can raise your cost per click even before you look at conversion performance.

Email. Email CTR is typically clicks ÷ delivered (or sometimes ÷ opens, called click-to-open rate). Both variants exist and platforms don't always agree on which one they're reporting, so check the definition your email tool is using before comparing CTR across tools.

CTR vs. conversion rate

CTR measures whether people click. Conversion rate measures whether people who arrived on your site then did something you wanted — bought, signed up, filled out a form. They're sequential, not interchangeable: a high CTR with a low conversion rate usually means the click promised something the landing page didn't deliver, while a low CTR with a strong conversion rate means whoever does click is a good match, but not enough people are seeing or clicking in the first place.

Both numbers matter, but they diagnose different problems. Don't optimize a headline for CTR alone if it's pulling in clicks that never convert — that's often a sign the headline overpromised relative to the page behind it.

Worked example

A Google Ads campaign shows an ad 12,000 times and gets 360 clicks: (360 ÷ 12,000) × 100 = 3% CTR. If 18 of those clicks convert into a signup, that's a separate calculation — (18 ÷ 360) × 100 = 5% conversion rate — using the click count as its own denominator, not the impression count.

The free CTR calculator handles the division for you, whether you're checking a single ad, a search query, or an email send.

FAQ

What is the formula for click-through rate?

CTR = (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100, expressed as a percentage. It applies the same way across search results, paid ads, and email, though what counts as an impression varies by platform.

What's a good CTR?

It depends heavily on the channel and position — a #1 organic search result typically sees a much higher CTR than a #8 result, and paid ad CTR benchmarks vary by industry and ad format. Compare your own CTR over time rather than a single universal number.

What's the difference between CTR and conversion rate?

CTR measures how many people who saw something clicked it. Conversion rate measures how many people who arrived on your site then completed a goal. A click has to happen before a conversion can, but a good CTR doesn't guarantee a good conversion rate.

How is email CTR calculated?

Usually clicks divided by emails delivered, though some platforms report click-to-open rate (clicks ÷ opens) instead. Check which one your email tool is showing before comparing CTR across platforms.

Related terms

• Conversion Rate Formula: How to Calculate ItOne formula, three possible denominators — and why the one you pick changes the number.
• What Is Paid Search?Ads on the search results page — and how GA4 tells that traffic apart from everything else.
• UTM Source vs. Medium: What's the Difference?Source is WHERE, medium is HOW — the two most confused UTM parameters, untangled.