What is click through rate (CTR)?

CTR shows up across channels: search results, paid ads, email subject lines, and social posts. In each case it measures the same thing, whether the people who saw your listing found it worth clicking.

A low CTR usually points at the message, not the traffic. If plenty of people see your ad or result and few click, the headline, description, or offer is not matching what they were looking for.

CTR is a step, not the goal. A high CTR that brings unqualified clicks costs money without producing leads, so read it alongside cost per lead and conversion, not on its own.