Clicks, Impressions, and CTR

whats the difference between the 3

[sadelb]

I assume clicks is the amount of people that click on your ad...

Impressions are the amount of times the customer clicks on the merchants website?

and CTR?

Sorry if this is an easy question but I am a little confused about the differences between impressions and CTR

[AWildman]

Impressions are the number times your ad is shown and CTR is your click through rate or clicks/impressions.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Hey, sadelb - you may also find these links from the AdWords FAQ useful:

A useful search function for the FAQ, at the top of the page, here:

Search AdWords Support
[adwords.google.com...]

And a Glossary, here:

Glossary
[adwords.google.com...]

CTR is your click through rate or clicks/impressions

That is exactly correct, although I sometimes find that a really basic example makes it even more clear:

So, if your ad appears 100 times for a keyword, you have 100 impressions. If you get one click, it means that one person has clicked on your ad, and gone to your site. And your CTR? In this case, it is 1 in 100, or a 1% CTR.

AWA

[sadelb]

Oh ok I understand.. So what is a good CTR.. Or what type of CTR would you guys be happy about?(On average)

[BriGuy20]

The correct answer is "it depends," but for AdWords I'd say a good CTR is in the 3-10% range or higher, depending on positioning.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

As a point of reference, my instinct is that 'average' (different than 'good', I know) hovers around 2% - across the spectrum ranging from new advertiser to expert.

AWA

[sadelb]

Is there a way to find what page your ad is actually on in google when typing in one of your keywords.. I know my ad is somewhere I just dont know how to find it... Also, when they say your position is like a 9.2. What does that exactly mean. 9.2 page? Thanks.

[BriGuy20]

Sadleb:

You should be able to find your ad by looking near the average position listed in your ad. If it says 9.6, it means that 9.6 is the average ad position for your ad, putting it near the end of the first page and possibly at the beginning of the second page. There are 10 ads per page, and since the position number is an AVERAGE, it means that the ad may be found a few spots higher or lower at any given time. If you had an ad that was at about 9.6 positionwise, i'd check the bottom of the first page and the top of the second page to see if it shows up.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

You should be able to find your ad by looking near the average position listed in your ad.

Good advice. However, be sure you're looing at the average postion for a recent date range, such as 'today' or 'yesterday'. This can be very different than the average postion of 'all time' or 'last month'.

Also be aware that a low daily budget can prevent your ad from showing all the time. So you may not always be able to see your ad.

AWA