There are reasons we click on things and reasons we don’t.  Those awful sponsored Facebook posts like “Twelve Super Disgusting Foods,” and “What Happened to JLaw’s Cat?” rarely get my click. But I will take a social media quiz now and then.  I will click on Google ads when they match my search.  And my decision over which organic result gets my click is quick.  Each of these opportunities to click means someone is measuring the click through rate – the percentage of clicks in relationship to impressions.

Click through rates are a huge factor in measuring the success of any digital campaign, be it paid, social, email or organic.  The trick is knowing how to change your click through rate for the better.

It all starts with goals.  Maybe your goal is to get more people familiar with your brand.  Maybe it is to sell more widgets on your website.  Or maybe it is to fill a class or college program.  Regardless of the platform you’re using, a click through rate is a measurement of quality.  High rates mean the audience is qualified and like your message.  Low rates can mean either you missed on the audience or the message.

But what is good? Depending on the platform, I look for click through rates in the 5-15% category as very good.  If the rates are lower than that, I A/B test the audience, message, and platform until we start to drive better clicks.  If the rates are higher than that, I question whether we are opening new doors or only talking to current customers so familiar with the brand that they will click regardless of the message.  This gives us the opportunity to widen the audience slowly, driving new business in addition to repeat business.

CTR can’t tell you everything.  Just because someone clicks a story, post, ad or listing doesn’t mean they stick around to engage with the next step.  Click through rates are one chapter in the data story of your campaign.

Curious about how to read your click through rates? Give BadCat a call!