ScaleyClick-Through Rate (CTR): What Is a Good CTR?
The formula, what Google says about a good CTR, how to raise yours, and the one way a high CTR can hurt you.
Written and reviewed by Christopher Krassnig
Published Last checked
Click-through rate (CTR) is how often people who see your ad click it: clicks divided by impressions. 5 clicks from 100 impressions is a 5% CTR. Google says a good CTR is relative to what you advertise and on which network, so compare your CTR with your own past ads.
Also called: CTR, clickthrough rate
The CTR Formula
CTR = clicks / impressions x 100.
Google's own example: "if you had 5 clicks and 100 impressions, then your CTR would be 5%." Every ad, keyword and free product listing has its own CTR in your account.
You do not need a calculator for it, but you do need the right two numbers. Use clicks and impressions from the same date range and the same level (campaign, ad group or keyword).
What Is a Good CTR for Google Ads?
Google answers this on its own definition page: "a good CTR is relative to what you're advertising and on which networks." That is not a dodge. A Search ad for your own brand name gets clicked far more than a Display banner on a news site, and both can be working.
So skip the industry averages. Most of them mix Search, Shopping and Display, many industries, and different years. Here is a better test:
- Compare like with like: Search with Search, Shopping with Shopping, Display with Display.
- Compare each ad with the other ads in the same ad group. The low one is the one to rewrite.
- Compare with your own last 30 or 90 days. A CTR that drops is a signal. A CTR that is just lower than a blog's average is not.
- Check what the clicks bought. CTR measures interest, not sales. Read it next to conversion rate and cost per sale.
Why Google Cares About Your CTR
Google says a high CTR "is a good indication that users find your ads and listings helpful and relevant." It also says CTR "contributes to your keyword's expected CTR, which is a component of Ad Rank."
Ad Rank decides where your ad shows and what you pay. Google lists the quality of your ads and landing page as one of the six main auction factors. So a better CTR can help you show higher for the same bid. Our Quality Score answer covers expected CTR in more detail.
How to Improve Click-Through Rate
The fixes that move CTR, in the order most stores should try them:
- Match the ad to the search. Google says the more your keywords, ads and listings relate to each other, the more likely someone is to click. Put the keyword in a headline.
- Tighten match types. Ads that show on loosely related searches drag CTR down. Read the search terms report and add negatives.
- Add assets. Sitelinks, callouts and images make the ad bigger and give more reasons to click. See Google Ads assets.
- Fix Shopping titles and images. On Shopping ads, the product title and photo are the ad, so the feed is where CTR is won.
- Show the price or offer. People skip ads that make them guess.
Example: A Coffee Store Reads Its CTR
Made-up numbers, to show the method. A coffee store has two Search ads in one ad group. Ad A: 2,000 impressions, 80 clicks. Ad B: 2,000 impressions, 40 clicks.
CTR for Ad A is 80 / 2,000 = 4%. CTR for Ad B is 40 / 2,000 = 2%. Same keywords, same week, so the gap is the ad itself.
Before it pauses Ad B, the store checks sales. Ad A: 2 sales. Ad B: 3 sales. Ad B gets fewer clicks but sells better, maybe because its headline shows the price. The store keeps both and writes a third ad that mixes A's hook with B's price. CTR alone would have picked the wrong winner.
Common Mistakes
Chasing a benchmark from a blog
Google says a good CTR depends on what you sell and where. Compare with your own ads and your own past.
Mixing Search and Display CTR
Display ads are seen while people browse, Search ads when they ask. Their CTRs live in different worlds. Never average them.
Clickbait headlines
A headline that over-promises can lift CTR and sink sales. You pay for every click, so a click that does not buy is a cost.
Reading CTR without conversions
CTR tells you who was interested. Conversion rate and cost per sale tell you who paid. Read all three together.
Questions People Ask
Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100. Google's example: 5 clicks from 100 impressions is a 5% CTR.
Related Terms
Google's Own Pages We Quoted
Every rule, limit and size on this page comes from these pages, read on 8 October 2026. Google changes them, so check the page itself before you act.
Where to Go Next
- What Is Google Ads Quality Score?Expected CTR is one of its three parts.
- CPC CalculatorTurn CTR, CPM and spend into a cost per click.
- ROAS vs ROI, CPC vs CPM and MoreEvery PPC metric pair, compared in plain English.
- CPC for Google Ads: What You Pay per Click and How to Lower ItHow expected CTR feeds into what you pay per click.
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