Glossary

Click-through rate (CTR)

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Click-through rate (CTR)

A click-through rate (CTR) is the proportion at which recipients follow a call-to-action (CTA) and visit the web page (or landing page). It’s a great indicator of whether a CTA works or if subscribers find the content engaging. When expressed in a formula, the CTR factors in the total number of clicks divided by the total number of emails sent and multiplied by 100. Here’s how: 

(Total number of clicks / Total number of emails sent) * 100 = CTR

For instance, if a brand sent 1,000 emails and 100 subscribers clicked on the CTA, the CTR would be 10%. 

100 / 1,000 * 100 = 10%

While CTR measures clicks relative to all emails sent, click-to-open rate (CTOR) measures clicks only among the emails that were actually opened. CTOR helps evaluate how engaging the email content is once the subscriber opens it, rather than just the overall campaign effectiveness. The formula looks like this: 

(Total number of clicks / Total number of opens) * 100 = CTOR

Using the previous example, if 500 recipients opened the email and 100 clicked on the CTA, the CTOR would be 20%: 

100 / 500 * 100 = 20%

This distinction is important: CTR shows the broad effectiveness of your email campaign, while CTOR highlights how compelling your content and CTA are to those who actually engage with the email. 

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