How to Calculate Click Through Rate Percentage
A compact guide to click through rate percentage, with the formula, quick examples, and common reporting mistakes.
To calculate click through rate percentage, divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions, then multiply by 100.
Click through rate = (clicks / impressions) * 100
If you want a quick check, use our percentage calculator to verify the math.
How the formula works
CTR shows what share of people who saw a link, ad, or email actually clicked it. Clicks are the part, and impressions are the whole.
- Clicks: how many times users clicked
- Impressions: how many times the item was shown
- Multiply by 100 to convert the decimal into a percentage
Example 1, ad campaign CTR
An ad was shown 8,000 times and received 240 clicks.
- 240 / 8000 = 0.03
- 0.03 * 100 = 3%
The click through rate is 3%.
Example 2, email newsletter CTR
A newsletter generated 95 clicks from 2,500 delivered impressions.
- 95 / 2500 = 0.038
- 0.038 * 100 = 3.8%
The click through rate is 3.8%.
How to find clicks from a known CTR
If you already know impressions and CTR, multiply impressions by the CTR as a decimal.
Clicks = impressions * (CTR / 100)
For example, if a page gets 12,000 impressions and CTR is 4%, it should generate about 480 clicks. If you need that version of the math, see what is X% of Y.
CTR vs conversion rate
CTR measures how many people clicked. Conversion rate measures how many completed the next action after clicking.
A campaign can have a high CTR and a low conversion rate, or the other way around. For the second metric, see how to calculate conversion rate percentage.
Common mistakes
- Dividing clicks by visits instead of impressions
- Mixing unique clicks with total impressions in the same calculation
- Comparing CTR across channels without labeling the source clearly
Related percentage calculations
CTR is closely related to response rate percentage, engagement rate percentage, and bounce rate percentage, because all of them compare one user action to a larger total.
If you are measuring before and after performance, percentage change is the better formula.
FAQ
What is a good click through rate?
It depends on the channel, audience, and placement. Benchmarking CTR only makes sense when you compare similar campaigns.
Can CTR be above 100%?
Usually no in standard reporting, because clicks normally cannot exceed impressions in a simple CTR model.
Is click through rate the same as open rate?
No. Open rate tracks opens, while CTR tracks clicks. In email marketing, CTR is usually the more action focused metric.