What Is Click-Through Rate?
Click-through rate is a performance metric that shows how often people select a search result, advertisement, email link, or other online item after seeing it. The metric compares clicks with impressions, which are views or opportunities to be seen. In SEO, it helps describe how effectively a search listing attracts visits.
Quick Facts About Click-through rate
Category
Digital marketing metric
Used for
Measuring clicks from visible listings
Common confusion
A click does not prove an enquiry
Also called
CTR
Often discussed with
Law Firm SEO Audits
Key Takeaways About Click-through rate
- It measures response to visibility, not completed enquiries.
- Titles and descriptions can influence searcher behaviour.
- Click-through rate is not the same as conversion rate.
How Click-through rate Works
Click-through rate is calculated by comparing the number of clicks with the number of impressions. An impression occurs when a search result or other item appears in front of a person. A click occurs when that person selects the item and reaches the linked page.
Related glossary terms: Conversion rate, Organic search, Search intent.
In organic search, the metric reflects how a title tag and search snippet attract attention for a query. Position, search intent, wording, brand familiarity, and the competing results can all affect the outcome. A strong result may earn visits because the wording matches the searcher's need. The metric does not show whether visitors read the page, completed a form, or became clients. Those actions belong to later stages of the search journey.
Expert Note
When we conduct Law Firm SEO Audits, we review click-through rate alongside search queries, ranking positions, and landing pages. We look for cases where visibility is present but the search result does not clearly match the legal service or searcher's intent. We then separate listing issues from page experience issues.
Click-through rate in Practice: A Real-World Example
For a family law firm, a Law Firm SEO Audit may show that a service page appears for searches about parenting arrangements but receives few visits. We would inspect the page title and search snippet to see whether they describe the service clearly and match the searcher's wording.
Related Services
Related Terms
Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the proportion of website visitors who complete a chosen action, such as submitting…
Organic search
Organic search is the unpaid process of finding webpages through a search engine's natural results. Search…
Search intent
Search intent is the purpose behind a person’s query in a search engine. It describes what…
Title tag
A Title tag is an HTML element that states a webpage's title for search engines and…
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