In the fast-paced world of digital advertising, click-through rate (CTR) is an important metric that can have extreme impacts on campaign performance. Understanding what constitutes a good CTR and how to improve it is essential for maximizing your ROI on platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. In this article, we’ll explore what a good CTR looks like and provide actionable strategies to enhance it.
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What is click-through rate (CTR)?
Let’s start with some fundamentals to make sure we’re all speaking the same language. CTR is a metric that measures the number of clicks an ad receives relative to the number of times it is shown (impressions). It’s calculated using the following formula: clicks/impressions x 100.
A higher CTR means you have a higher number of clicks per impression which could signal that the ad is resonating with your target audience. A lower CTR is just the opposite: lower clicks per impression could signal that optimizations are needed.
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What is a good CTR?
If you’re familiar at all with Facebook and Google, you can tell that they’re very different platforms to engage with. Because of that, we’re going to need to look at a good click-through rate for each channel separately.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads?
According to our latest Google Ads benchmarks report, the average CTR on Google Ads is 6.42% in 2024. But that’s not the whole story.
As you can see below, CTRs can vary widely by industry. On the whole, it’s important to know that this is a blended stat across all campaign focuses.
Brand campaigns, or campaigns that bid on branded terms, tend to have much higher CTRs (I’ve seen these range from 15% to 60% depending on the brand keywords) than non-brand campaigns. That’s because, with non-brand campaigns, users are searching for queries but don’t already have a brand in mind. Non-brand CTRs also vary widely in my experience and can be anything from 0.50% to 25%.
The averages above should help you know how you stack up, but the ranges I’ve provided should also help you to know if your performance is in the “normal” range.
What’s a good CTR for Facebook Ads?
Click-through rate statistics look a bit different on Facebook. The average CTR here also varies by industry, but like the brand versus non-brand segmentation in Google, Facebook campaigns also see different CTRs based on their objective.
The average CTR for traffic campaigns on Facebook is about 1.51%. Here’s the Facebook Ads click-through rate benchmark breakdown by industry:
Just to highlight how different these can be, for Google, the travel industry sees a 10.16% CTR while the same group sees only a 2.20% CTR on Facebook.
Lead generation campaigns provide a third number. The average CTR for the Facebook leads objective is 2.53%. This is slightly higher than traffic, but still well below Google Ads.
This overall click-through rate trend trickles down to the industry level. For example, in the sports and rec industry group, lead gen campaigns provide a 3.74%. That average CTR is better than traffic but worse than Google Ads.
These benchmarks can also vary widely depending on the ad format, optimization event, and audience targeting, so always consider the context.
💡 You can find our complete Facebook ads benchmarks and search ads benchmarks reports here!
How to improve your Google Ads or Facebook Ads CTR
Regardless of which marketing channel you’re advertising on, improving your CTR can be a step in the right direction for better overall performance. Seeing these improvements is a multi-faceted process that involves optimizing various components of your ads. Here are four strategies that you can tailor to either Google or Facebook Ads that could help increase your CTRs.
1. Include phrases relevant to your targeting options
Tying text in ad copy back to your targeting can help catch the user’s eye and appeal to them because it relates the ad to them.
For Google Ads, that means using the keywords or key phrases from your search campaigns in the ad copy where applicable.
Don’t forsake a well-formed and flowing ad for something that’s stuffed with keywords. These can help anchor someone to what they searched for, but it doesn’t have to be either perfectly the same as the keyword or overloaded with the term. A reference or two should be just fine.
For Facebook, this will manifest a bit less directly, at least for the user. As the advertiser, you use a combination of machine learning, audiences, and/or interests, behaviors, and demographics to target your audience. Depending on how you reach those users, you can reflect those targeting options in your Facebook ad copy.
The image below is directly from my Facebook feed. I do indeed work in marketing…at an agency…that needs to drive value for their clients.
This one is about as direct as it gets, including “Hi marketers!” as the first thing you’ll read in the ad. Your messages don’t need to be that to the point, but this gives a good example of how you can draw attention to the targeting you used to target that user in your copy. Only word of caution: don’t call out someone for something negative. Never feels good to have a brand remind you of something less than ideal.
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2. Use ad assets and customizations for more ways to get clicks
Both Google and Facebook have additional bells and whistles that can be used to supplement the original ad unit with additional information about your business. These can also help improve visibility since they can often take up additional space, specifically on search.
Here are some of the ad asset options for Google.
- Sitelinks: Small portion of additional text that can direct users to different pages on your site.
- Callouts: Highlight unique features or offers.
- Structured snippets: Provide specific details about your products or services.
- Price: Showcase price points of products or services
- Promotion: Highlight current promotions
- Location: Provide details about your physical locations
- Image: Add a visual component to text ads with relevant images
These assets can increase the size of your ads and provide more reasons for users to click.
But did you also know that Facebook has site link options as well?
In the ad builder, use the Ad Sources section to add site links to your ads.
These will show as additional links in your ads, just like with Google, and can have different text, landing pages, and even thumbnail images to accompany them.
3. Consider visual appeal and flow on Facebook
Since Facebook is a visually-driven platform, the creative aspect of your ads is critical.
- High-quality images and videos: Use eye-catching visuals that resonate with your target audience.
- Consistent branding: Ensure your ads are aligned with your brand identity for better recognition and trust.
- Experiment with formats: Try different ad formats like carousel ads, video ads, and collection ads to see which performs best.
If you’re stuck on what you should create for this platform, there are TONS of free options out there that can help you lean into these strategies.
First, you can use the Facebook Ad Library to get inspiration from other advertisers. I like to look at the creatives very large brands use to get ideas for how I can lay out my client’s ads. Brands like Nike, Starbucks, and others all have teams of folks working on their creatives. Why not take a little of their magic and cater it to your own business?
Additionally, there are tools you can use to create Facebook Ads that provide templates to help you spice things up a bit. My personal favorite is Canva. It has some free and paid features as well as a template library you can use to create images, carousels, or videos for your Facebook campaigns.
As you’re creating your Facebook Ads, I want you to remember how these ads are typically read. Many clients we work with want to tell a story with their ads, which is wonderful, but they fail to know how a user usually registers an ad.
The image above shows what everyone usually thinks, but the below it is actually how it flows. Viewers pretty much always start with the visual creative first, then the headline below it since it’s in bold letters. Next, if we’re interested enough, we’ll hop back up to the supporting text and read through that. More often than not, folks aren’t reading your ads top to bottom, so make sure you’re accommodating for that flow when writing your ads.
4. Always be testing for a maximized click-through rate
Finally, ongoing monitoring and optimization are essential. Improving your CTR is never going to be a “set it and forget it” type of strategy. You might find a combination of variants that consistently works well, but without regular testing, you’ll never be able to move the needle.
For Google Ads, I’ve written about my strategy for testing Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) using templates before. This practice lets you have some control over your message so you can see what resonates best with your customer base but still leverages Google’s machine learning to see strong results.
On Facebook, testing is a bit tougher given that Facebook will also prioritize a top-performing ad. It’s difficult to get an even split test with messaging and format changes.
The easiest way to get more accurate testing data is to use the split testing function in Facebook Ads. You can test ad creatives against each other using either existing creatives in the account or you can make new ones. Test results will then show performance differences for each Facebook ad creative based on how they hit (or missed) your campaign objectives.
The definition of a good click-through rate is always evolving
A good click-through rate is a key performance indicator for any paid media campaign, serving as a gauge for ad effectiveness and audience engagement. By understanding the benchmarks for Google Ads and Facebook Ads and employing strategic optimization techniques, you can work to improve your business’s CTRs.
Remember, enhancing CTR is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires attention, experimentation, and adaptation. With these strategies in hand, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the complexities of digital advertising and deliver impressive results. For more help hitting your click-through rate goals, see how our solutions can maximize campaign results for higher click-through rates and more!