The essentials
- Definition: CTR (click-through rate) is the ratio of clicks to impressions, expressed as a percentage.
- Formula: CTR = clicks / impressions × 100. 50 clicks on 2,000 impressions gives a CTR of 2.5%.
- 2026 benchmarks: 25 to 30% in organic position 1, 4 to 8% on the Google Ads Search Network, 0.5 to 1% on display, 1 to 2% on social ads.
- The limit: a good CTR guarantees nothing after the click; read it alongside conversion rate and cost per acquisition.
The aim of CTR (click-through rate) is the percentage of people who click a link, an ad or a search result after seeing it. It is digital marketing's most universal relevance metric: it exists in SEO, in advertising, in email and on social media, with the same formula but very different orders of magnitude.
The formula and an example
CTR = number of clicks / number of impressions × 100. An ad shown 4,000 times and clicked 120 times has a CTR of 3%. A page appearing 10,000 times in Google and receiving 800 visits has a CTR of 8%. An impression is counted on every display, even if the user never scrolls to the link; the exact definition varies between platforms, which makes comparing a Google Ads CTR with a LinkedIn CTR unsafe without care. The concept of animpression is covered in a dedicated article.
The 2026 averages by channel
| Channel | Average CTR | What makes it vary |
|---|---|---|
| SEO, position 1 (desktop) | 25 to 30% | The presence of AI Overviews, ads or a featured snippet above |
| SEO, positions 2 to 3 | 10 to 18% | Brand or generic query, how rich the snippet is |
| SEO, positions 6 to 10 | 2 to 5% | The number of enriched blocks on the results page |
| Google Ads, Search Network | 4 to 8% | Sector, brand queries (often above 20%), assets |
| Google Ads, Display | 0.4 to 1% | Targeting, format, remarketing or prospecting |
| Meta Ads (feed) | 1 to 2% | Creative, audience, season |
| LinkedIn Ads (sponsored content) | 0.4 to 0.8% | Format, audience size, niche B2B |
| Email marketing (clicks / sends) | 2 to 3% | Opt-in list, segmentation, subject line |
These ranges are benchmarks, not targets. A CTR of 2% is excellent for a display placement and very poor for a Search ad on your own brand. The right comparison is always your own history on the same channel, the same type of query and the same position.
What CTR measures, and what it doesn't
CTR measures the fit between a message and the context it appears in: title, snippet, visual, position. It says nothing about what happens after the click. A clickbait ad can show a CTR of 10% and a conversion rate of zero. That is why CTR is always analysed alongside a result metric: conversions, CPA or revenue.
- In SEO, a CTR below the average for its position signals a title or meta description worth rewriting; Search Console gives CTR by query and by page (see the Performance report).
- In Google Ads, expected CTR is one of the three components of Quality Score ; a high CTR lowers your CPC at an equal bid.
- In social ads, separate "all clicks" CTR (reactions and image expansions included) from "link clicks" CTR, the only one relevant to traffic.
- In email, click rate is calculated on delivered sends or on opens (CTOR); say which before comparing.
The levers for improving a CTR
| Channel | Main levers |
|---|---|
| SEO | Rewrite the title tag with the benefit and the year, the meta description with a concrete promise, structured data to enrich the snippet |
| Google Ads | Headlines containing the keyword, assets (sitelinks, callouts, prices), excluding off-target queries that inflate impressions |
| Social ads | A/B-tested visual, the hook in the first two lines, a tighter audience |
| A single visible call to action, segmentation, a button rather than a text link |
CTR in the age of AI Overviews
Since Google's AI Overviews rolled out in France, the organic CTR of informational queries has fallen: studies published in 2025 measure drops of 20 to 40% in position-1 CTR when an AI Overview is displayed. The impressions remain, the clicks fall. This makes it necessary to track CTR by query type and to complement the classic metrics with a measure of visibility in AI engines, set out in GEO KPIs.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEA tracking and optimisation module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a good CTR?
It depends entirely on the channel and the position. A CTR of 5% is good on the Google Ads Search Network, mediocre for an organic result in position 1 and exceptional on display. Compare your CTR with your own history on the same channel and position rather than with a general average.
How do you calculate CTR?
Divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions and multiply by 100. An ad seen 5,000 times and clicked 150 times has a CTR of 3%. Check how the platform defines an impression: some count every display, others only displays visible on screen.
Does CTR affect organic search?
Google states it doesn't use CTR as a direct ranking signal, but it does use it to assess the quality of its results. In practice, a more attractive title and description increase clicks without changing your position, which is reason enough to work on organic CTR.
Why is my Google Ads CTR falling when nothing has changed?
The frequent causes are broader queries triggered by broad match, a competitor arriving and bidding above you, or the loss of an asset. Look at the search terms report and your average positions before touching the ads.