CTR Calculator: Click-Through Rate Formula
Use this CTR calculator to turn clicks and impressions into a click-through rate, or to find how many clicks a target CTR requires. It tells you how well an ad, email or search listing attracts clicks; what visitors do afterwards is the job of the conversion rate calculator.
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Formula
CTR (%) = clicks ÷ impressions × 100Clicks needed = impressions × target CTR ÷ 100, rounded up to a whole click
Benchmark guidance
These bands are rough rules of thumb, not industry standards. Real CTRs vary widely by channel, placement and audience.
| CTR | Label |
|---|---|
| below 0.5% | Low |
| 0.5% to under 2% | Typical |
| 2% to under 5% | Good |
| 5% or more | Excellent |
Worked example
250 clicks from 10,000 impressions: 250 ÷ 10,000 × 100 = 2.5%, which is good. To reach 1.5% on 80,000 impressions you need 80,000 × 0.015 = 1,200 clicks.
Another example
- 90 clicks from 6,000 impressions: 90 / 6,000 × 100 = 1.5%, which is typical.
- To reach a 3% CTR on 20,000 impressions you need 20,000 × 0.03 = 600 clicks.
When to use it
Use CTR to compare ad creatives, subject lines or page titles at the same position, and to spot listings that are seen but not clicked. Before reading a difference as real, check it with the A/B test significance calculator.
Common mistakes
- Judging on a few hundred impressions. At 2,000 impressions the gap between 1.0% and 1.5% is 10 clicks.
- Comparing across channels. Search ads, display, social and email click rates sit at very different levels.
- Chasing CTR alone. A misleading headline can raise clicks and lower conversions.
How it differs
CTR is clicks per impression. Conversion rate is conversions per visit, cost per click is spend per click, and CPM is the price of 1,000 impressions. The four are linked: CPC = CPM / (1,000 x CTR).
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate click-through rate?
CTR is clicks divided by impressions, times 100. 250 clicks from 10,000 impressions is 250 ÷ 10,000 × 100 = 2.5%.
How many clicks do I need for a target CTR?
Multiply impressions by the target CTR and round up. At 80,000 impressions and a 1.5% target you need 80,000 × 0.015 = 1,200 clicks.
What is a good CTR?
It depends heavily on channel, placement, audience and intent. As a rough rule of thumb used here, under 0.5% is low, 0.5% to 2% is typical, 2% to 5% is good and 5% or more is excellent. Compare against your own past results first.
Why is my CTR low even though people see my ad?
Common causes are weak headlines or creative, poor audience targeting, low ad position and ads shown to people with no current intent. Test one change at a time; at 2,000 impressions a move from 1.0% to 1.5% is only 10 extra clicks, so collect enough data before judging.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads, email or display ads?
As rough rules of thumb, search ads often get several percent, email clicks per delivered message are commonly low single digits, and display ads often sit well under 1%. The bands on this page (under 0.5% low, 0.5% to 2% typical, 2% to 5% good, 5%+ excellent) are only a generic guide. Compare with your own channel history.
How do I calculate CTR in Excel or Google Sheets?
Use =clicks/impressions and format the cell as a percentage. For 90 clicks on 6,000 impressions, =90/6000 gives 1.5%. To find the clicks needed for a target use =ROUNDUP(impressions*target_ctr,0).
Is CTR the same as conversion rate?
No. CTR counts people who clicked out of those who saw the ad; conversion rate counts people who completed a goal out of those who visited. With 10,000 impressions, a 2% CTR gives 200 visits, and a 5% conversion rate on those visits gives 10 sales.