Click-through rate

Click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the percentage of users who click on a specific link or advertisement out of the total number of people who viewed it. It is commonly used to assess the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns and determine user engagement with a particular piece of content. It is a core performance metric that is tracked in the digital experience space, alongside conversion rate, bounce rate and others.

Example use cases

  • Evaluating the performance of display advertising by tracking the percentage of users who click on the advertisement out of those who see it.
  • Monitoring the click-through rate of email marketing campaigns to determine user interest and engagement.
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of call-to-action buttons on a website by measuring the percentage of visitors who click on them.
  • Measuring the success of social media posts and campaigns by calculating the click-through rate on shared links. Conducting A/B testing to compare the click-through rates of different variations of a webpage or advertisement.

Key benefits

  • Insights into the effectiveness of marketing and advertising campaigns, allowing for data-driven decision-making and optimization. 
  • Understanding user interest and engagement with specific content or offers, helping to tailor future campaigns and messages. 
  • Identification of areas for improvement in website design, email content, or ad placement to maximize click-through rates and conversions. 
  • Comparison of performance across different channels or campaigns to identify the most effective strategies and allocate resources accordingly. 
  • Tracking of click-through rate as a key performance indicator (KPI) to assess campaign success and measure return on investment (ROI).

Related terms

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