How to calculate CTR
CTR % = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
Worked example
Your Shopping campaign received 1,800 clicks from 120,000 impressions last month.
CTR = (1,800 ÷ 120,000) × 100 = 1.5%
Fifteen of every thousand people who saw your products clicked. To see what that means for traffic: if you could raise CTR to 2.0% with the same impressions, you would get 2,400 clicks, or 600 more visitors, without spending more on visibility.
What is a good CTR?
There is no single good CTR. It varies with:
- Campaign type. Search ads on high-intent queries usually earn higher CTRs than Display or video placements, where people are not actively searching.
- Branded vs non-branded traffic. Searches for your store name often have very high CTRs; generic product searches are much more competitive.
- Ad position and format. Ads shown at the top of the page or with prominent product images get more clicks.
- Price competitiveness. On Shopping, shoppers compare prices side by side. If you are noticeably more expensive, CTR drops.
- Category and season.
The most reliable benchmark is your own: compare CTR across products, campaigns and time periods, and look for outliers.
How CTR fits with other metrics
CTR is the first step in a chain: impressions become clicks (CTR), clicks become orders (conversion rate), and orders become revenue and profit. A high CTR is only good if those clicks convert.
| Scenario | CTR | Conversion rate | What it suggests |
|---|
| High / high | Strong | Strong | Ad and landing page both match intent |
| High / low | Strong | Weak | Ad attracts clicks, but page or offer disappoints |
| Low / high | Weak | Strong | Good offer, poor visibility or weak listing |
| Low / low | Weak | Weak | Targeting is likely wrong |
Use the conversion rate calculator alongside this one. CTR also connects cost metrics: effective CPM equals CPC × CTR × 1,000, so the CPM calculator and CTR together show whether expensive impressions are paying off.
- Write better product titles. Put the most important attributes first: brand, product type, key feature, size or color. Titles that match how people search tend to get more clicks.
- Use clean, high-quality images. The main image is often the deciding factor in a Shopping grid. Show the product clearly on a plain background.
- Show promotions and ratings. Sale prices, Merchant Center promotions and product ratings make listings stand out.
- Check price competitiveness. If competitors are consistently cheaper, adjust pricing or accept a lower CTR on those products.
- Add negative keywords. Removing irrelevant searches cuts impressions that were never going to click, which raises CTR and stops wasted spend.
- Improve Search ad copy with specific benefits, prices and offers rather than generic slogans.
A word of caution: do not chase CTR by itself. Vague, clickbait-style ad text can raise clicks while lowering conversion rate, which costs you more money.