What is a good CTR in Google Ads?

People often ask for a single 'good' clickthrough rate (CTR) number. Google itself says a good CTR is relative to what you're advertising and which network it runs on — so the honest answer is to judge your account against its own history, not a borrowed industry figure.

How is CTR calculated?

CTR is clicks divided by impressions. If your ad showed 100 times and got 5 clicks, your CTR is 5%.

Google Ads defines CTR as a ratio showing how often people who see your ad end up clicking it, and notes that a good CTR is relative to what you're advertising and on which networks [1](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2615875).

Why isn't there one 'good' CTR number?

CTR depends heavily on things that vary by business: how specific the keywords are, whether the search is branded or generic, the network (Search vs Display), ad position, and the device.

A narrow, branded keyword usually gets a far higher CTR than a broad, generic one.
Search ads typically get higher CTR than Display ads, because Display reaches people who weren't actively searching.
An ad near the top of the page tends to get more clicks than one lower down, independent of how good the ad is.

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How do I judge my own CTR?

Compare like with like: the same campaign or ad group over time, or similar ad groups within your own account, rather than against outside numbers you can't verify.

Pull CTR for each campaign and ad group over the last 90 days.
Compare each one against its own history, not against another business's account.
Look for ad groups with a CTR noticeably lower than similar ad groups in the same account — that's where the ad text or keyword match may not fit the search.
Watch the trend over time rather than a single day or week.

Does CTR matter beyond vanity metrics?

Yes — CTR feeds into Quality Score as 'expected clickthrough rate', one of the three components Google uses as a diagnostic signal for ad relevance.

A very low CTR on Search, well below what similar ad groups in your own account achieve, is usually a sign the ad text or keyword doesn't match the search, which is worth investigating ahead of raising bids.

What CTR doesn't tell you

A high CTR doesn't mean the clicks convert — check conversion rate and cost per conversion too.
A low CTR on a very specific, low-volume keyword may simply reflect a small, precise audience, not a problem.

Limitations of this guide

CTR benchmarks vary too much between industries and campaign types to be meaningfully compared across businesses.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 1% CTR bad?

It depends entirely on the campaign type and network. Compare it against your own account's similar campaigns rather than treating 1% as a universal cutoff.

Does a higher CTR lower my cost per click?

CTR feeds into Quality Score, which Google uses alongside other factors in the ad auction, so a stronger CTR can be associated with lower costs, but it isn't the only factor.

Should I pause an ad with a low CTR?

Check conversions first. An ad with a low CTR but strong conversions among the people who do click may still be worth keeping.