Every advertiser wants to know how their campaign matches up in their industry. No one wants to fall behind the pack, and a little reassurance every once in a while is important. The burning questions on their minds are: What is a good Click-Through Rate for my campaign? Are my numbers too low? What is normal for my industry? 

Understanding the Significance of CTR:  

Don’t worry! These are all valid questions that we will get into answering, but first what even is a Click-Through Rate? Click-Through Rate (CTR) is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the percentage of people who clicked on a digital ad, email, or other call-to-action compared to the total number of impressions. You can calculate CTR by dividing the number of impressions into the number of clicks and it is always expressed as a percentage. CTR isn’t just a random figure; it’s a key player in being able to tell how well your campaign is grabbing your target audience’s attention and motivating them to take meaningful actions.

What Goes into a CTR?

Now that we know CTRs are based on reported data and you’ve most likely seen article upon article about average CTRs for your industry, why is it so hard to get a concrete answer on what they actually are (the REAL numbers, not just vague statements)? 

Because there are so many variables at play. 

CTR performance is not a one-size-fits-all deal; it varies across channels. Programmatic display has different engagement metrics compared to paid search or paid social. Each channel holds its own unique set of KPIs that further complicates our quest for a straightforward answer on what is a successful CTR. But don’t worry, this blog is going to reveal average CTRs for Programmatic display advertising. 

For your reference, the industry average for Programmatic display CTRs is 0.08%. 

Now Let’s Get into those CTRs

The average CTRs by industry as of February 2024 are:

Arts & Entertainment- .17% 

Food & Drink- .14% 

Technology & Computing- .13% 

Family & Parenting- .16% 

Personal Finance- .19% 

Hobbies & Interests- .08% 

Health & Fitness- .14% 

Shopping- .15% 

Education- .13% 

Style & Fashion-. 16%, 

Business- .12% 

Home & Garden- .12% 

Travel- .18% 

Politics- .10% 

Automotive- .16% 

Recruiting & Careers- .15% 

Pets- .17% 

Real Estate- .12%