Short answer: Click-through rate (CTR) is the share of people who click after they see your ad or your page in search results: clicks divided by impressions. Five clicks from 100 impressions is a CTR of 5%. Google says a good CTR is relative to what you advertise and where, so compare against your own results.
CTR in Google Ads and in Search Console
| Google Ads | Search Console | |
|---|---|---|
| A click | Someone clicks your ad or free listing | Someone clicks your site in Google Search results |
| An impression | Your ad is shown | Your site appears in Search results |
| Where you see it | For each ad, listing and keyword | In the Performance report, by query, page, country or device |
| What it feeds | Expected CTR, part of Quality Score | Which pages get the highest and lowest CTR |
Both tools use the same formula, clicks divided by impressions, but they count different things, so the two numbers aren’t comparable.
From Google Ads Help, “Clickthrough rate (CTR): Definition”, and Search Console Help, “Performance report (Search results)”, read November 2, 2026.
What CTR tells you in Google Ads
Google reads a high CTR as a sign that people find your ads and listings helpful and relevant. Each ad, listing and keyword has its own CTR in your account.
CTR also feeds expected CTR: how likely your ad is to be clicked each time it shows. Google lists expected CTR as a component of Ad Rank, and as one of the three components of Quality Score, a diagnostic score it keeps out of the auction.
The closer your keywords, ads and listings relate to each other and to your business, the more likely someone is to click after searching your keyword.
What CTR tells you in Search Console
The Performance report shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for your queries and pages.
In search results, the title link is what people click. Google asks for descriptive and concise title text, without vague words like “Home” and without needless length. Google can also include your site’s favicon in its results, and asks that it represent your brand so people can identify your site quickly.
From Google Search Central, “Influencing your title links in search results”.
How to raise your CTR
- Open the Performance report in Search Console and turn on CTR and average position.
- Switch to the Pages tab and look for pages with many impressions and a low CTR.
- Search for one of their queries and read how the title and snippet look next to the other results.
- Rewrite a vague or overlong title so it says plainly what the page offers.
- In Google Ads, compare the CTR of the ads in each ad group.
- Make the keyword, the ad text and the landing page say the same thing.
- Check the same report again after a few weeks, over a period of the same length.
Our guides to meta descriptions and SEO titles and to Quality Score go deeper into each one.
What our own Search Console shows
From October 4 to 31, our home page appeared at an average position of 4.1 and got a CTR of 4.1%. Our article on Google Ads for small businesses appeared at an average position of 79.6 and got a CTR of 0.6%.
Both pages have descriptive titles. The gap comes from where they appear, so for that article the first job is to move it up, not to rewrite its title.
Before you change a title or an ad
- You compared CTR within your own account, not with someone else’s figure.
- You checked the average position next to each CTR.
- The title says plainly what the page offers.
- The ad text matches the keyword it shows for.
- The landing page delivers what the ad promised.
- You noted the dates so you can compare the same length of time later.
RememberCTR is clicks divided by impressions. Read it next to position and against your own results, and raise it with clear titles and ads that match their keywords.
If you want us to run your ads with CTR in view, see our Google Ads management service.
Quick answers about click-through rate
How do you calculate click-through rate?
Divide clicks by impressions. Google’s example: 5 clicks from 100 impressions is a CTR of 5%. In Search Console, impressions are the times your site appeared in Google Search results and clicks are the times someone clicked through to it.
Is there a good click-through rate to aim for?
There is no single number. Google says a good CTR is relative to what you advertise and on which networks. Compare each ad, keyword or page with your own others and with its past results, not with a figure from another business.
Does CTR affect Quality Score?
Yes, through expected CTR: how likely your ad is to be clicked each time it shows. It is one of three components; the other two look at how well the ad answers the search and how useful the landing page is. Expected CTR also counts in Ad Rank, while Quality Score itself only diagnoses.
Can I compare my Google Ads CTR with my Search Console CTR?
No, they measure different things. Google Ads counts clicks on your ads and the times your ads were shown. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search results to your site and the times your site appeared in those results.
Why can’t I find my site for a query that Search Console lists?
Google says search results depend on the time, place, device and recent history of the person searching. A query can show your site to some people and not to you when you search it yourself.
Sources
Read on November 2, 2026. Google Ads Help: Clickthrough rate (CTR): Definition and About Quality Score. Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results). Google Search Central: Influencing your title links in search results. Our own case: our Search Console, October 4 to 31, 2026.