How to calculate email click through rate
Email Click-Through Rate (CTR) is one of the most important metrics for measuring how well your email campaigns engage your audience. While open rates show whether subscribers are opening your emails, CTR tells you how many are taking action by clicking links inside your emails.
In this guide, we'll break down the CTR formula, walk through a real example, and share tips for improving your click-through performance.
What is Email Click-Through Rate (CTR)?
Click-Through Rate (CTR) measures the percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links in your email. It gives a clear picture of how engaging your content is beyond the open.
CTR Formula:
CTR (%) = (Number of Clicks ÷ Number of Delivered Emails) × 100
- Number of Clicks: Total times recipients clicked links in your email.
- Number of Delivered Emails: Emails that successfully reached recipients' inboxes (not bounced).
Pro Tip: Use unique clicks if your email platform supports it, so multiple clicks from the same recipient aren’t counted more than once.
Step-by-Step Example
Let’s say you sent a campaign to 2,000 subscribers, and your email platform recorded 150 clicks.
CTR (%) = (150 ÷ 2,000) × 100 CTR (%) = 7.5%
Your email campaign has a 7.5% click-through rate, which is a solid benchmark depending on your industry.
Want to automate this? Try our Email CTR Calculator for instant results.
CTR vs Open Rate: Understanding the Difference
- Open Rate: Measures how many people opened your email.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures how many people clicked a link after opening.
A high open rate with a low CTR often signals that your content or CTA needs improvement.
Learn more about calculating your email open rate in our guide here.
Tips to Improve Your Email Click-Through Rate
- Write Compelling CTAs: Make your call-to-action buttons or links clear, action-oriented, and enticing.
- Segment Your Audience: Send tailored content that matches subscribers’ interests.
- Use Visuals and Buttons: Links in buttons tend to get higher CTR than plain text links.
- Test Link Placement: Try placing CTAs both at the top and bottom of emails.
- A/B Test Subject Lines and Content: Experiment to see what drives more clicks.
Benchmark CTRs: What’s Good?
CTR benchmarks vary by industry. Here’s a quick snapshot:
| Industry | Average CTR |
|---|---|
| Marketing | 2.5% |
| Ecommerce | 2.1% |
| SaaS | 2.9% |
| Nonprofits | 2.0% |
Use your CTR data alongside open rate and conversion rate to track your email campaign performance accurately.
Summary
Email Click-Through Rate is a critical metric for understanding how well your audience engages with your content. By measuring CTR, analyzing trends, and applying best practices, you can optimize your campaigns for better engagement and ROI.
- Calculate your CTR using the formula:
(Clicks ÷ Delivered Emails) × 100. - Compare CTR with open rate to identify areas for improvement.
- Test and optimize your emails continuously for higher engagement.
Ready to calculate your CTR quickly? Check out our Email CTR Calculator.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A good email CTR typically ranges from 2% to 5%, depending on your industry. Marketing and SaaS companies often see higher rates (2.5-2.9%), while ecommerce averages around 2.1%. However, focus on improving your own baseline rather than just comparing to industry averages. Consistently testing subject lines, CTAs, and content will help you identify what resonates with your specific audience.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) measures clicks as a percentage of total delivered emails, while Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) measures clicks as a percentage of emails opened. CTR = (Clicks ÷ Delivered) × 100, whereas CTOR = (Clicks ÷ Opens) × 100. CTOR is useful for evaluating how engaging your email content is once someone opens it, while CTR measures overall campaign effectiveness from delivery to action.
To improve your CTR, focus on clear and compelling CTAs that stand out visually, personalize your content based on subscriber behavior, and use concise, action-oriented copy. Segment your audience to send more relevant messages, optimize for mobile devices, and test different button colors, placements, and wording. A/B testing is crucial—try different subject lines, email layouts, and send times to see what drives more clicks.
Unique clicks are generally better for calculating CTR because they count each recipient only once, even if they click multiple times. This gives you a more accurate picture of how many individuals engaged with your email. Total clicks can inflate your numbers and make it harder to assess true engagement. Most email marketing platforms let you choose between the two—stick with unique clicks for more reliable metrics.
Email CTR measures how many people clicked on links in your email, while conversion rate measures how many people completed a desired action (like making a purchase or signing up) after clicking. A high CTR is great, but if your conversion rate is low, it might mean your landing page or offer needs improvement. Track both metrics together to understand the full journey from email to conversion and optimize accordingly.
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