What does CTR mean?

CTR is a benchmark of top-level campaign performance. CTR is an important measure of an initial campaign’s performance because it can be gauged at the ad platform. It is a gauge of efficiency of campaign performance without needing to set up additional tracking and can often provide insights into the performance of targeting and creativity. There are certain pitfalls with basing performance off of click-through rate, namely fake clicks and unintentional clicks due to tricky placements. CTR is most often used with Paid Search / PPC / CPC campaigns and Display Advertising, while also being available with Video and Social Advertising. Video advertising tends to be more of a visual engagement, so view-through rates (VTR) are sometimes used. Social media tends to have multiple views of CTR, based on the type of click (see CTR (Link Click) and CTR All below), and additional social engagement rates. CTR is commonly used alongside VTR and Engagement Rate, while some marketers rely more on Conversion Rate or Return on Marketing Investment / Ad Spend (ROMI / ROAS respectively).