Click-through rate

In online marketing, the click-through rate (CTR) is considered one of the most important key performance indicators (KPIs). It is the ratio of clicks (on an ad, a banner, a link or a search result) to the number of impressions. If an ad for the keyword “buy mobile phone” is shown 1,000 times and clicked 10 times, for example, the CTR is 1%. For organic search, the click-through rate per page and search term can be analysed in Google Search Console.

The click-through rate is a relevant metric in the following areas of online marketing:

• Search engine marketing (SEA, Google Ads)

• Banner advertising

• Display campaigns

• Affiliate marketing and sponsored links

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)

• Internal links

Within a website, the click-through rate is also revealing: how often are teasers, banners or internal links clicked, measured against the number of page views? This shows which elements really lead visitors onwards. For newsletters, the metric is central as well: how many recipients actually click a link in the email?

CTR and SEO

In search engine optimisation, the click-through rate shows how attractive a search result is for users. Title and meta description largely determine whether a result gets clicked. Google doesn't reveal details, but court documents and leaked documents from 2023 and 2024 show that Google evaluates click data from the search results – for example in a system called “NavBoost”. It's not just the raw click-through rate that counts, but also whether users are satisfied after clicking or quickly return to the search results. A high CTR therefore only helps if the page delivers what the snippet promises. This also shows how well SEA and SEO work together: ad copy with a high click-through rate provides valuable pointers for organic titles and descriptions.

The click-through rate is not an end in itself: no click, no conversion – and conversion is ultimately the goal of all measures. When planning campaigns, the focus should therefore not be on the highest possible click-through rate, but on qualified clicks that lead to purchases or enquiries. The two are not mutually exclusive: a good CTR is the prerequisite for successful conversion rate optimisation.

What is the average click-through rate?

How many clicks are good? There is no universal average, because the click-through rate depends heavily on channel, industry, ad format and position. In organic Google search, the first result receives significantly more clicks than the following ones; ads, shopping results and AI Overviews can shift click-through rates further. For social media ads, typical values are usually around one percent, for classic display banners considerably lower. The most meaningful comparison is therefore with your own figures: between pages, campaigns and time periods. Pages with many impressions and a below-average click-through rate in Search Console in particular are rewarding candidates for new titles and descriptions.