What is click-through rate (CTR)?

CTR = clicks ÷ the number who saw it × 100. If an ad was shown 20,000 times and clicked 300 times, the CTR is 1.5%. If a link in a Story was seen by 2,000 people and tapped 90 times, the CTR is 4.5%.

The catch is the “saw it” figure. Some reports divide by impressions (times it was shown, including repeats), others by reach (unique people). The same 300 clicks on 20,000 impressions but 12,000 reach gives 1.5% in one report and 2.5% in the other. Meta also notes that impressions is deprecated for media created after 2 July 2024, and lists views as a separate metric, so check which one your report uses. Name the denominator when you quote the number.

Meta’s documentation defines link_clicks for Stories as the number of taps on links in your story, and profile_links_taps at account level as the number of taps on your business address, call button, email button and text button. Neither is a click on the link in your bio, so you will need a tracked link (see UTM parameters) or your link page’s own report for that. For ads, the reporting is in Meta’s ad tools, and you should read its definitions there.

• A high CTR with no sales means the promise got the click and the page did not keep it. Look at the conversion rate next.
• A low CTR on a post that sold well can still be fine. Few people clicked but the right ones did.
• Tiny samples jump around. Ten clicks on 100 views is 10%, but it tells you little.
• Clickbait raises CTR and lowers trust. Match the wording of the call to action to what is behind it.

Tip: Test one change at a time, such as the first line of a Story or the button text. If you change the image, the text and the offer together you will never know which one moved the rate.