CTR Calculator
Click-through rate & cost per click
2,000 clicks from 100,000 impressions is a 2% click-through rate. Enter your own impressions and clicks to calculate CTR for an ad, email or search listing, and add what you spent to see the cost per click as well.
How to read CTR
The ctr formula behind this click through rate calculator, sometimes called a click rate calculator, is a single division.
Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions, as a percentage. 2,000 clicks from 100,000 impressions is a 2% CTR. It measures one thing well: how relevant and appealing your ad, headline or listing is to the people who actually saw it.
| Clicks | CTR | Effective CPC |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | 0.20% | $5.00 |
| 500 | 0.50% | $2.00 |
| 1,000 | 1.00% | $1.00 |
| 2,000 | 2.00% | $0.50 |
| 5,000 | 5.00% | $0.20 |
Notice the relationship: at fixed spend and impressions, doubling CTR halves your cost per click. On auction platforms the effect is stronger still, because a higher CTR also improves quality score and lowers what you pay per auction. CTR improvements compound.
Benchmarks by channel
| Placement | Typical CTR |
|---|---|
| Google Search, brand terms | 5 to 15% |
| Google Search, non-brand | 2 to 5% |
| Google Shopping | 0.6 to 1.5% |
| Facebook and Instagram feed | 0.9 to 1.6% |
| Display network | 0.05 to 0.5% |
| Email marketing | 2 to 5% |
| Organic search, position 1 | 25 to 40% |
| Organic search, position 10 | Under 2% |
Comparing a display CTR with a search CTR is comparing an interruption with an answer. Someone searching has stated an intent; someone scrolling has not. Benchmark against your own past campaigns in the same channel and treat cross-channel comparisons as meaningless.
The organic search cliff
Organic CTR falls away faster than almost anyone expects. Position one takes roughly a quarter to two-fifths of clicks, and by position ten it is under 2% — so the gap between ranking third and ranking eighth is most of your traffic, on the same page of results.
Two forces are compressing it further: AI Overviews and featured snippets push the first traditional result down the page, and a growing share of searches end with no click at all. A page holding its ranking can still lose clicks as the results page changes around it.
A high CTR is not automatically good
CTR measures interest, not value. It is easy to raise by attracting the wrong people, and clickbait raises CTR while lowering everything downstream of it.
- Read CTR alongside conversion rate. Rising CTR with falling conversion means the ad promises something the page does not deliver.
- Broad targeting inflates CTR on cheap, irrelevant traffic that never converts.
- Brand terms flatter the average. People searching your name were coming anyway, so separate branded and non-branded before drawing conclusions.
- Low CTR with high conversion is often a strong position: a specific ad that few people click but most buyers do.
Pair this with the conversion rate calculator to see what the clicks did, and the CPC calculator for what they cost.
What the CTR figure assumes
CTR is clicks ÷ impressions × 100. Adding a cost figure also returns the effective cost per click, which is cost ÷ clicks.
- Platform-reported impressions and clicks. Definitions differ: some platforms count an impression when the ad is served, others only when it is viewable, which changes the denominator materially.
- Benchmarks are broad US ranges as of September 2026 and vary with industry, seasonality, ad format and device. Your own history in the same channel is the only baseline worth trusting.
- Organic position CTRs come from published click-distribution studies and are shifting as AI Overviews and featured snippets change the results page.
- Not modelled: quality score effects, auction dynamics, invalid clicks, view-through conversions, and the difference between unique and total clicks.
Reviewed September 2026.
Sources, checked
- Clickthrough rate (CTR): Definition, Google Ads Help. CTR as clicks divided by impressions.
Figures reviewed . Every worked example on this page is checked against the calculator above.
CTR Calculator: frequently asked questions
How do I calculate CTR?
Divide clicks by impressions and multiply by 100. 2,000 clicks from 100,000 impressions is a 2% click-through rate.
What is a good CTR?
It depends entirely on the channel: 2 to 5% for non-brand search ads, 0.9 to 1.6% for Facebook feed, and 0.05 to 0.5% for display. Comparing across channels is meaningless.
How does CTR affect cost per click?
At fixed spend and impressions, doubling CTR halves your CPC. On auction platforms the effect is larger still, because a higher CTR improves quality score and lowers the price you pay per auction.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads?
Around 2 to 5% on non-brand search terms and 5 to 15% on your own brand terms. Shopping runs lower at 0.6 to 1.5%. Separate branded from non-branded before judging, since brand terms flatter the average.
What is the CTR for the first position in Google?
Roughly 25 to 40% of clicks, falling to under 2% by position ten. AI Overviews and featured snippets are compressing this further, and a growing share of searches now end without any click.
Can a high CTR be bad?
Yes. CTR measures interest, not value. Clickbait and broad targeting both raise it while lowering conversion. Rising CTR with falling conversion usually means the ad promises what the landing page does not deliver.
Why is display CTR so much lower than search?
Because search meets a stated intent and display interrupts something else. Someone searching has told you what they want; someone scrolling has not. A 0.1% display CTR can be perfectly healthy.
How do I improve CTR?
Tighten targeting so fewer of the wrong people see the ad, match the copy to the search intent, use extensions and structured data to occupy more space, and test headlines. Relevance raises CTR more reliably than persuasion.