What is Email Click-Through Rate?

Email CTR, or click-through rate, allows you to calculate the percentage of recipients that clicked on one or more links in your email out of all emails sent. It's an important metric to measure the success of your email campaigns and an excellent indicator of audience engagement.

What is Email Click-Through Rate?

As a startup founder, it's either you're juggling multiple roles, spending hours crafting email campaigns for a new product launch, or looking for ways to increase your customer base.

Most times, after all these efforts, you're greeted by disappointing results, especially with the email campaigns, either with low open rates or an embarrassingly low number of clicks.

As one of the paramount topics in email marketing, this guide is for marketers, startup founders, creators, and SMB owners who want to improve their CTR and overall email marketing game.

Continue reading to find out:

  • What is email CTR?
  • Why Does Email CTR Matter?
  • What’s the difference between CTR and CTOR?
  • Average Email CTR Across Industries
  • Factors Affecting Email CTR
  • How to Calculate and Track Email CTR
  • How to Improve Email CTR
  • Advanced Strategies to Boost CTR

What is email CTR?

Email CTR, or click-through rate, allows you to calculate the percentage of recipients that clicked on one or more links in your email out of all emails sent. It's an important metric to measure the success of your email campaigns and an excellent indicator of audience engagement.


Why Does Email CTR Matter?

Email CTR is more than just a vanity metric; it provides insight into how well your content connects with your audience and motivates them to take action. This is why it matters:

  1. Measures Engagement: A higher CTR shows that your email content is relevant and compelling, indicating a strong connection with your audience.
  2. Evaluates Call-to-Action (CTA) Effectiveness: CTR measures how effective your CTAs are in compelling receivers to act.
  3. Tracks ROI: It’s a key indicator of how your email campaigns contribute to your business goals, such as driving sales or generating leads.
  4. Guides Optimization: Low CTR serves as an evaluation tool, highlighting areas for improvement, whether it’s in design, copy, or audience segmentation.

High CTRs are frequently connected with stronger relationships with your audience, leading to increased customer loyalty and higher lifetime value.


Average Email CTR Across Industries

According to MailChimp's recent 2024 research, which delved into the details of their approved accounts belonging to their valued clients around the world, here is a thorough average email click-through rate by industry.

How does your CTR stack up? If it’s below average, don’t worry—you’re about to learn how to improve it. Remember, even small adjustments can lead to significant changes over time.


Factors Affecting Email CTR

Several elements influence your email CTR. Let’s explore the key ones:

  1. Subject Line: A boring subject line can discourage your recipients from opening the emails sent to them, thereby lowering the chance of clicks. On the other hand, attention-grabbing subject lines that pique curiosity are essential and contribute greatly to your overall click-through rate.
  2. Email Design: Poorly designed emails don't just confuse readers; they also lower engagement rates. It is better to have clean, visually appealing designs that will enhance readability and interaction.
  3. CTA Placement: If your CTA isn’t easy to find, recipients won’t click. Making your CTA compelling and placing it strategically on your email will help increase or improve your CTR rate.
  4. Audience Segmentation: Segmentation helps you send better personalized and relevant emails; sending generic content to an untargeted audience will only reduce your open rate and CTR as well.
  5. Timing: Sending emails at the wrong time can result in lower engagement. Understanding your audience’s habits is crucial for timing optimization.

How to Calculate and Track Email CTR

Most email marketing platforms, including Seamailer, automatically calculate CTR for you. However, it’s helpful to understand how to manually track it:

CTR = (Number of Clicks) \ (Emails Delivered) x 100

For example, if you sent an email to 1,000 recipients and 50 people clicked a link, your CTR would be:

50/1000 x 100 = 5%

CTR = 5%

Understanding your email CTR gives you valuable insight into the effectiveness of your overall email campaign. Understanding this metric is important for creating campaigns that truly connect with your audience.


How to Improve Email CTR: Actionable Tips

  1. Craft Irresistible Subject Lines
    • Use compelling words relevant to your email content.
    • Test personalization (e.g., including the recipient’s name).
    • Keep it short and intriguing to encourage opens.
  2. Segment Your Audience
    • Group recipients based on behavior, demographics, or interests.
    • Use Seamailer’s segmentation feature to send tailored content.
  3. Design Mobile-Friendly Emails
    • Ensure emails render well on all devices, particularly mobile phones.
    • Use tools like Litmus to test your designs across various platforms and screen sizes.
  4. Write Compelling CTAs
    • Use action-oriented language (e.g., “Get Started,” “Learn More”).
    • Place CTAs strategically within the email to maximize visibility and clicks.
  5. A/B Test Campaigns
    • Test different subject lines, layouts, and CTAs.
    • Use Seamailer’s built-in A/B testing tool to find what works best for you.
  6. Send Emails at the Right Time
    • Analyze your audience’s habits to determine optimal sending times.
    • Leverage Seamailer’s timezone sending feature for global campaigns.
  7. Incorporate Visuals
    • Add high-quality images, GIFs, or videos to enhance engagement.
    • Use free tools like Canva to create stunning visuals that support your message.
  8. Create Engaging Preheader Text
    • Use the preheader to complement the subject line and entice readers to open the email.

Advanced Strategies to Boost CTR

  1. Dynamic Content: Personalize emails with dynamic fields (e.g., product recommendations or tailored offers).
  2. Interactive Elements: Use polls, quizzes, or carousels to increase engagement and clicks.
  3. AI Copy Analysis: Seamailer’s AI copy analyzer ensures your email resonates with your audience and avoids common pitfalls.
  4. Gamification: Add fun elements like scratch cards, progress bars, or point-based rewards to make your emails more engaging.
  5. Behavior-Based Triggers: Send automated emails triggered by user behavior, such as abandoned cart reminders or post-purchase follow-ups.

How Seamailer Helps Improve Your Email CTR

Seamailer is designed to make email marketing effortless and effective.

We provide you with the following tools to help you make the most of every email campaign:

  • Email Verification: Reduce bounce rates by verifying up to 50,000 emails, ensuring your list is clean and reliable.
  • Automation and Segmentation: Deliver the right message to the right audience with minimal effort.
  • Campaign A/B Testing: Optimize every element of your emails to achieve the highest possible CTR.
  • Spam Checker: Ensure your emails land in the inbox, not the spam folder, protecting your sender reputation.
  • Landing Page Builder: Create seamless transitions from email to action with custom landing pages.

Try Seamailer for Free and see how it transforms your email marketing results.


Now, you've understood what an email click-through rate is and how to calculate it as well. It is also important to know that mastering email CTR is essential if you want to maximize the ROI of your email campaigns. By understanding what CTR is, why it matters, and how to improve it, you’ll be well on your way to email marketing success.

Are you ready to see your email CTR soar? Start with Seamailer today and take your campaigns to the next level.