Last updated Nov 2023
Last quarter the average CTR was 0.76% (averaging across all countries, platforms, and industries) according to our research.
While easy answers are always nice this overall CTR benchmark is not that useful, unfortunately, as results vary so much depending on your particular activity.
The key is to break it down. Use the filters in our CTR Benchmark Tool below to find the most suitable results to compare your performance to.
CTR Benchmark Tool
Compare your CTR to trends collected from thousands of other marketers. Give context to your performance with our CTR Benchmarks tool.
Find out if your CTR is bucking trends or just following the pack.
When using the drop-downs:
- Filter results by Country, Industry and Channel. When you leave filters to the default “All” position, the benchmark will include results from people who did not specify anything for that field (eg “All Industries” will include all the industries listed in the drop-down, as well as data from where the industry field was left blank).
- Choose a single option by clicking the “Only” button next to any choice.
- Select multiple options at once. Untick the “All” tickbox then tick the box by each option you would like to see included in the data.
- Reset all filters. Tick the top tickbox by clicking the “All …” tickbox.
- To close a filter drop-down menu. Click elsewhere within the benchmark tool.
Notes:
- Compare your results to the benchmark by using the CTR calculator in the left-hand column (desktop only)
- As the above figures are self-reported we use multiple filters and levels of analysis to ensure the data is useful.
- More options to break down the benchmark further (including by more countries) are coming as we gather more data.
- We only show data with enough data points to make it useful. If you filter results it may make other filters unavailable.
- The current quarter only contains data up to the end of last month.
- If you notice this benchmark has stopped working, please let us know.
How should I use this benchmark?
The best use of this benchmark is as context for your results - if your CTR is following a general trend then that is useful to know.
For example, if your CTR has been trending up over the past year and you see a similar result in the benchmark tool then perhaps you are benefiting from algorithm changes.
Similarly, if your CTR falls suddenly and you see that your whole industry is seeing the same thing, then that could help you not panic so much.
Also - adding benchmarks to reporting and forecasting can be exceptionally helpful when explaining your performance. Bookmark this page and come back each quarter to get the latest results.
How do I compare my results to these benchmarks?
If you want to compare your results directly to the above benchmark, here is a simple guide to help you. If your results are...
- above the Top 25% figure, you should be very pleased
- above the Average CTR figure, you should be slightly pleased
- below the Average CTR figure, you should be slightly disappointed
- below the Bottom 25% figure, you should be very disappointed.
Most results occur between the top 25% and bottom 25%, so if you are somewhere in the middle you are more or less doing ok.
Again, please note that the best benchmark is always your past performance. If you performed better compared to the same time last year then that is important. This benchmark is more useful for context than a direct comparison.
What do percentiles mean?
We included the 25th percentile (bottom 25%) and the 75th percentile (top 25%).
These work by putting all the CTRs in order from smallest to largest, then choosing the numbers that are 25% from the bottom and 25% from the top.
We include these top and bottom 25% markers because if you are particularly good (or bad) at marketing, then comparing yourself to the average probably isn't that helpful.
By providing these extra sets of data, you can compare your results to benchmarks more relevant to yourself.
How is CTR calculated?
CTR is the percentage of views that led to a click.
This is calculated by taking the number of clicks and dividing that by the number of opportunities for a click. 'Opportunities for a click' can mean:
- impressions - if you are measuring an ad or link
- visits - if you are measuring a page
- opens - if you are measuring a link in an email.
You can use the below equation to work it out, or our CTR calculator (also found on the side of this page on Desktop).
The CTR equation is:
Click to enlargeCTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) x 100
CTR is the simplest way way to gauge interest levels. If a piece of content or an ad is causing a high percentage of people to click, then it is at least driving people to want to find out more about what you are talking about.
Find out more
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