Click-through rate (CTR)

The percentage of an audience that clicked a link, with the audience and click-counting method defined by the channel or reporting tool.

Click-through rate, or CTR, compares clicks with opportunities to click. In email, providers commonly divide unique recipients who clicked by delivered or sent emails. In ads and search, CTR commonly divides clicks by impressions. Always identify the formula before comparing rates.

If 30 unique recipients click an email delivered to 1,000 people, the unique click rate is 3%. Ten clicks from one person should not count as ten unique recipients, though they may appear in a total-click report.

Clicks can be affected by security scanners and bots, while privacy features can distort opens. Use available filtering and downstream activity to interpret the result. Click-to-open rate uses tracked opens as the denominator and answers a different question.

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