Click-through rate impacts ad ranking and quality scores. Google cares about CTRs. A search engine’s revenue is derived from clicks. CTR is also valuable to advertisers. Generally, users turn to search engines with a question and a desire for an answer. It is an expression of their desire.
Search is so useful because users let you know what they want! They are already looking for something to fill this need. Your first step as an advertiser is to create relevant paid search ads. Ad rank, Quality Score, and low CTR are linked to good click-through rates.

The CTR is a measure of the percentage of impressions that result in a click. One click on a PPC ad and 1,000 impressions can equal 0.1% CTR. Searchers see CTR as a measurement of relevance of your ad. Here are some examples:
- High CTR, users respond positively to your advertisement.
- Low CTR, users see your ad as ineffective.
In PPC campaigns, you want qualified users to click a link and perform a desired action, such as download a specification sheet or buy your product. You must first increase CTR in order to make the ad more relevant and generate the desired actions.
Can you improve your CTR?
Generally speaking, what’s a good click-through rate? People often ask me that. PPC answers depend on many factors. This metric is related to:
Your field of work.
Your bid strategy for each keyword Research.
For every PPC campaign.
Branded keywords should have a CTR of double digits when searched for. A 1% CTR is possible even on non-branded keywords.
CTR Effects on Ad Rank
A CTR does not just show how relevant your ads are to searchers. Ad Rank in search engines is also affected by CTR. Your ad rank dictates where your ad will appear on a search search result page.
True enough – PPC is not a pure auction.
It does not guarantee success to bid at the highest level. An ad that has the highest AdRank will be the winner. The CTR is a major factor in AdRank.
There’s even more to Ad Rank than that, though. CTR is measured against an expected CTR. You may be penalized if you add new ads to your Google Ads account if you have a lot of low-conversion ads.

Keywords, advertising copy, and landing page relevance are all factors that determine an advertiser’s Quality Score.
It’s more likely that you’ll see higher Quality Scores if your ads and landing pages are relevant to the user. Ad relevance, click-through rates, and landing pages are just a few of the things that make the Quality Score high. CTR is crucial for earning a high Quality Score.
CTR Is OK in Some Situations
Could you optimize all your ads based on CTR, and ignore other metrics, like conversion rate?
I’d say no!
The key to success in PPC is not Ad Rank and CTR.
Then I could write an ad that said “Free iPhones!iPhones!iPhones!,” which would get a great response. A commercial like this won’t help me become profitable unless I am able to give away iPhones.
Focus first on business metrics, and then on CTR. The goal of any PPC campaign should be to sell as many products as possible at the lowest possible cost. In order to maximize lead generation, optimize the lead cost per lead.
CTR should not be your primary metric unless your aim is to drive lots of PPC traffic. Low CTRs aren’t always bad – they can be a good thing sometimes. Sometimes ambiguous keywords pose a problem.
PPC programs must deal with the problem of ambiguity. Your product or service may be found by people searching for a broad keyword that means something different to everyone.
A good example is “security.”
Suppose your business sells physical security solutions to prevent businesses from breaking into. Suppose your company bids on the term “security” to attract users who are just learning about security needs. If done correctly, this is a great strategy.
Security, however, can mean many different things. A person might be seeking:
- Protection of credit cards.
- Safety of finances.
- Security of personal information.
- Security for the home.
- Positions as security guards.
And those are just five examples I came up with in a few seconds. Aren’t they all so different?
So, say you want to bid on “business security,” since it’s more relevant. You might not have a high CTR with such a broad term. Let’s also say that you generate a lot of leads from this keyword at a reasonable cost.
A low CTR might suggest pausing that term. No way!
Don’t let anything else matter more than performance. When your keywords and ads are performing well based on your business goals, a low CTR is fine.
Final thoughts
Monitoring and understanding CTR is an essential function of PPC managers. When CTR and business metrics are optimized, PPC campaigns will be successful