← DictionaryClick-Through Rate
The share of people who clicked after seeing something.
How many who saw it clicked it.
What It Is
Click-Through Rate sits on the Measurement side of the work, in the Conversion area. Stated plainly: the share of people who clicked after seeing something.
It is something measured and compared over time, so one reading in isolation tells you almost nothing. That is the version worth keeping, because it survives contact with a real project.
How It's Used
In practice, Click-Through Rate shows up in reporting, analytics reviews and the arguments about what the numbers mean. It normally appears alongside Impressions and Conversion Rate. The practical test is whether it is measured the same way each period, against something.
Why It Matters
Click-Through Rate is one of those items that only becomes visible when it is missing. When it is unclear, reporting becomes a matter of opinion. Clarity here removes a surprising amount of downstream argument.
Picture a speedometer. It tells you how fast, not whether you are going the right way. How many who saw it clicked it.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Professionally, Click-Through Rate carries the narrow meaning: the share of people who clicked after seeing something.
Explained to someone with no marketing background, Click-Through Rate is how many who saw it clicked it.
The Bottom Line
Treat Click-Through Rate as a decision, not a description. How many who saw it clicked it.