Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions. Google Ads reports it per keyword, ad and campaign. Search Console reports it per query and page for organic listings. It is the fastest read available on whether what you show in the results matches what the person was looking for.
Briefly explained
- The percentage of people who clicked after seeing it.
- Reported for both ads and organic listings.
- It must be read against position to mean anything.
- In ads it also affects what you pay.
What does a weak CTR usually mean?
Almost always one of two things.
- The listing does not name the service. A generic title loses to one that says exactly what the searcher typed.
- The listing does not name the place. For a local search, the town in the title does more than any adjective.
A title that reads like a brand statement competes poorly against one that reads like an answer.
Why does it cost money in paid search?
Because expected click-through rate is one of the three components behind Quality Score. Relevance that shows up as CTR also shows up in what a click costs and which position you can hold.
How do you read it honestly?
Always against position, and always with volume in mind.
A listing that slipped from three to seven will lose click-through rate without a word on the page changing. Comparing this month’s CTR to last month’s, with no reference to where you ranked, produces confident nonsense.
Work on the queries with real impression volume. The worst percentages in the report usually belong to searches nobody makes.
What should you change first?
- The title, written for the searcher: service, place, and what makes you the obvious call
- The description, answering the question rather than describing the company
- Structured data where it earns extra detail in the listing. See schema markup.
- For ads: the match between keyword, ad text and the page behind it
What do the terms mean?
- Impression: Your listing or ad was shown.
- Position: Where it appeared. The context every CTR needs.
- Expected CTR: A forecast of clicking, made before the ad has run.
- Title tag: The clickable headline in an organic result.
- Impression share: How much of the available traffic you were eligible for, in ads.
Owner questions
