What Is Click-Through Rate?
Also written as CTR, clickthrough rate, click through rate.
Definition
Click-through rate (CTR) is the share of people who saw your ad and then clicked it. You work it out as clicks divided by impressions. If a product ad gets 5 clicks from 100 impressions, its CTR is 5 percent. A high CTR shows the ad pulls attention, not that it makes money.
Written by Christopher Krassnig, Founder & CEO of ZenoX Media. Written by the ZenoX team from the accounts we run. Definitions are general; the numbers in examples are maths, not client results.
Click-Through Rate, Explained
CTR tells you how often a view turns into a click. Google calls it a ratio "showing how often people who see your ad or free product listing end up clicking it" (checked 5 November 2026). The sum is simple. Clicks divided by impressions, shown as a percent. Google's own example is 5 clicks from 100 impressions, which is 5 percent.
On a Shopping ad, a shopper sees four things at once. The image, the title, the price and the store name. If your lamp costs far more than the lamps next to it, CTR drops. If the photo is weak, CTR drops. CTR is often the first sign that a product does not fit the page it shows on.
There is no one good number. Google says a good CTR "is relative to what you're advertising and on which networks". So compare a campaign with its own past, and compare like with like. Brand Search usually beats Shopping on CTR, because those people already want you.
Chasing CTR alone burns money. A silly low price gets clicks. So does a misleading title. You pay for each one, and none of them may buy. Read CTR next to conversion rate and profit.
How We Use It at ZenoX
We read CTR as a warning light, not a goal. A low CTR on a Shopping product sends us to the title, the image and the price first. We judge the product on profit against break-even ROAS. A product with a pretty CTR and no margin is still a waster.
Questions People Ask About Click-Through Rate
How Do You Calculate Click-Through Rate?
Divide clicks by impressions, then show the result as a percent. Google's example is 5 clicks from 100 impressions, which gives a CTR of 5 percent (checked 5 November 2026). If your product ad got 30 clicks from 1,500 impressions, your CTR would be 2 percent.
Is a High CTR Always Good?
No. A high CTR only means people clicked. It says nothing about whether they bought. A very low price or a misleading title can pull clicks that never turn into sales, and you still pay for them. Always read CTR next to conversion rate and profit.
Related terms
- ImpressionAn impression is counted each time your ad appears on Google or the Google Network.
- Conversion RateConversion rate is the share of ad interactions that turn into a conversion, shown as a percent.
- Quality ScoreQuality Score is a 1 to 10 rating of your ad quality, shown per keyword in Search campaigns.
- Product Title OptimizationProduct title optimization is rewriting Shopping titles so they match the words buyers actually type.
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