What is CTR?
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of ad impressions that resulted in a user click. In in-app advertising, CTR tells app advertisers what share of users clicked their app-install ad and were redirected to the app store. CTR is one of the quickest available signals of how relevant an ad creative is to the audience seeing it.
How is CTR calculated?
CTR is calculated by dividing the number of clicks an ad receives by its number of impressions, then multiplying by 100:
CTR = (clicks / impressions) x 100
For example, an ad with 15 clicks and 1,000 impressions has a CTR of (15 / 1,000) x 100 = 1.5%.
Why does CTR matter?
CTR helps advertisers evaluate ad engagement and compare the performance of different creatives, audiences, and placements. When analyzed alongside CPM, the cost per 1,000 impressions, it can help advertisers assess how effectively their ad spend generates clicks. However, a high CTR does not necessarily mean an ad generates more installs or revenue.
For example, a Unity analysis of gaming-audience targeting found a 290% lift in CTR for interactive ad formats compared with leading third-party audiences. Brand campaigns that layered gaming audiences into relevant game categories also saw a 32% lift in CTR.
Advertisers can examine click and conversion data for individual creative assets using Unity's Creative Insights reporting tool. Its second-by-second timelines help advertisers understand when users click an ad and when those clicks lead to installs.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What's considered a good CTR?
There's no single good CTR, it varies by ad format, platform, and industry. Benchmarks for mobile and display ads commonly fall between 0.5% and 5%, while other channels run higher. A campaign's own CTR is best judged against its own goals and past performance, not a single fixed number.
Does a high CTR guarantee more app installs or conversions?
No. CTR only measures how many people clicked, not what they did afterward. A network with a 10% CTR but only a 5% conversion rate can perform worse than one with a 7% CTR but a 20% conversion rate, so CTR is best read alongside conversion rate (CVR) rather than on its own.