What Is Click-Through Rate (CTR)? Definition and Formula
Click-through rate (CTR) is clicks divided by impressions. Learn how Meta's CTR (all) differs from link CTR and which one to trust when reading results.
Updated June 2026 · Likit Sae Lee, CTO
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of ad impressions that resulted in a click, calculated as clicks divided by impressions, multiplied by 100. In Meta Ads Manager there are two main versions: CTR (all), which counts every click on the ad including engagement that stays on the platform, and CTR (link click-through rate), which counts only clicks on links toward your destination. Link CTR is the more honest measure of whether an ad actually drives traffic.
The definition, unpacked
Click-through rate answers one question: of all the times your ad was shown, how often did someone click it? The formula is clicks divided by impressions, multiplied by 100. If an ad was on screen 1,000 times and collected 20 clicks, its CTR is 2 percent. Meta counts an impression the moment your ad is on screen, so CTR is effectively a measure of how well the creative converts attention into action. That makes CTR the classic creative signal. The auction decides who sees your ad, but the hook, the visual, and the offer decide whether they click. When two ads run to the same audience with the same budget, the one with the higher CTR is usually the one whose creative is doing its job. This is why media buyers treat CTR as an early read on a new ad, often before enough conversions exist to judge anything else.
CTR (all) vs link CTR, and why the distinction matters
Meta Ads Manager reports more than one CTR, and they measure different things. CTR (all) is based on clicks (all), which Meta defines as any click on your ad. That includes clicks that never leave the platform, such as reactions, comments, shares, taps to expand the image or video, and clicks through to your Page profile. CTR (link click-through rate) is based on link clicks only: per Meta's documentation, clicks on links to selected destinations or experiences, on or off Meta-owned properties. There is also outbound CTR, which narrows further to clicks that take people off Meta entirely, for example to your website. Link CTR is the honest one for most advertisers because it counts the behaviour you are actually paying for: a person choosing to go where the ad points. CTR (all) can look flattering on an ad that sparks debate in the comments or attracts profile taps while sending almost nobody to your store. If you report CTR (all) when the campaign goal is traffic or sales, you are grading the ad on applause rather than action. Keep CTR (all) as a supporting engagement signal, and make link CTR the number you compare, test against, and act on.
How to read CTR in practice
In Ads Manager, customise your columns so that CTR (link click-through rate) sits next to CTR (all), link clicks, and your cost metrics. Reading them together is diagnostic. A low link CTR usually means the hook or the creative is not stopping the right people, or the audience does not match the message. A healthy link CTR with weak conversions means the ad is fine and the problem lives after the click, in the landing page, the price, or the offer. A wide gap between CTR (all) and link CTR flags an ad that entertains without persuading. Always compare like for like. CTR behaves differently across placements, formats, and audience temperatures, so judge a Reels ad against other Reels ads and a retargeting ad against other retargeting ads, not against cold prospecting. When a proven ad's CTR slides week after week to the same audience, that is a fatigue signal and a cue to refresh the creative. Studying what earns clicks in your own market helps here: browsing a large archive of local ads, such as AdPlay.ai's library of Malaysian Meta ads, shows you the hooks and formats competing for the same thumbs you are trying to stop.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my CTR (all) so much higher than my link CTR?
Because CTR (all) counts every click Meta records on the ad, not just clicks toward your destination. Reactions, comments, shares, taps to expand the creative, and visits to your Page can all register as clicks even though nobody left the platform. Link CTR only counts clicks on links, so it will always be equal to or lower than CTR (all). A large gap usually means the ad is generating engagement without generating traffic, which is worth investigating if traffic or sales is the goal.
Which CTR should I use when judging my ads?
Use CTR (link click-through rate) as your default whenever the ad is meant to send people somewhere, such as a product page, a lead form, or WhatsApp. It isolates the clicks that reflect real intent to act. CTR (all) still has a role: it is a broad engagement signal and can help you spot ads that grab attention. Just avoid mixing the two, because comparing an ad's CTR (all) against another ad's link CTR makes the first ad look artificially stronger.
Does a high CTR mean my campaign is working?
Not by itself. CTR tells you the ad earned clicks relative to how often it was shown, but it says nothing about what happened after the click. An ad can have a strong link CTR and still produce no sales if the landing page is slow, the offer is weak, or the audience is wrong. Read CTR alongside your cost and conversion metrics: a high CTR with poor results points to a post-click problem, while a low CTR points to the creative or the audience.
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