Click-through rate (CTR)

CTR says how often people who saw the ad chose to click. A low CTR on Search often means the ad does not answer the search, and Google's expected CTR feeds Quality Score.

A high CTR is not always good: an ad that promises too much can draw clicks that never convert. CTR should be read with conversion rate.

1. Add the CTR column to Campaigns, Ad groups, Keywords or Ads.
2. Compare CTR between ads in the same ad group, where the searches are similar.
3. Segment by network: Search and Display CTRs are not comparable.
4. Check the Expected CTR grade on keywords for Google's view.

Adding sitelinks and a clearer price in the headline lifts that ad to 7% at the same position.

• Comparing CTR across campaign types, networks or positions as if they were the same.
• Chasing CTR with clickbait, which raises clicks and cost but not conversions.
• Reading a fall in CTR over a few hundred impressions as a trend.

The audit checks Oppy runs on this, each with its own page.

• Responsive search ads Google rates below Good
• Quality Score parts below average on the keywords that spend
• Search campaigns showing fewer sitelinks than Google can use

• Expected click-through rate: One of the three parts of Quality Score: how likely the ad is to be clicked when shown for the keyword, compared with other advertisers.
• Impression: One showing of an ad.
• Quality Score: Google's 1 to 10 rating of a keyword, built from expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.