Skip to content
The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryMeasurement & AttributionClick-Through Rate (CTR)

Measurement & Attribution

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Clicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Click-through rate (CTR) is the number of clicks an ad, link or email receives divided by the number of times it was shown, expressed as a percentage. It indicates how relevant and compelling content is to its audience. CTR also influences ad platform quality scores and costs, though it does not measure conversions.