What is CTR and how do you calculate it?
CTR (click-through rate) is the share of impressions that got a click: clicks divided by impressions, as a percentage. 300 clicks from 20,000 impressions is a 1.5% CTR.
Rearranged: clicks = impressions × CTR ÷ 100, and impressions = clicks ÷ CTR × 100.
Why CTR matters beyond clicks
CTR is the clearest signal of whether an ad is relevant to the people seeing it. Platforms reward relevance: a higher CTR usually means a lower CPC for the same CPM (CPC = CPM ÷ (CTR × 10)), and on Meta it feeds the engagement rate ranking.
A falling CTR is an early warning
When the same audience sees the same ad again and again, CTR drops while frequency climbs. That is creative fatigue; check for it with the creative fatigue checker.
Link clicks vs all clicks
Meta reports both. Link clicks count clicks to your destination; clicks (all) also count likes, profile clicks and expanding the ad. Use link clicks for a CTR that reflects traffic.
| Metric | Formula | Tells you |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | spend ÷ impressions × 1,000 | what reach costs |
| CPC | spend ÷ clicks | what traffic costs |
| CTR | clicks ÷ impressions × 100 | how compelling the ad is |
| Conversion rate | conversions ÷ clicks × 100 | how well the landing page converts |
| CPA | spend ÷ conversions | what a result costs |
| ROAS | revenue ÷ spend | what each $1 of spend returns |
How to calculate CTR
- Choose what to calculate. Pick CTR, clicks or impressions.
- Enter the other two values. Type the two you know, from your ad platform’s report for the same date range.
- Read the result. The answer updates as you type, using CTR = clicks ÷ impressions × 100.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate click-through rate?
Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100. 50 clicks from 2,000 impressions is a 2.5% CTR.
What is a good CTR?
Search ads usually have much higher CTRs than display or social ads because the person is actively looking, so compare CTR within the same platform and placement, and against the campaign’s own history.
Does a higher CTR lower my costs?
Often, yes. At the same CPM, doubling CTR halves CPC, and platforms tend to favour ads people engage with.
Why is my CTR dropping?
Common causes are creative fatigue (the audience has seen the ad too often), a broader or less relevant audience, new competitors in the auction, or a change in placement mix.