Email click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of delivered emails that result in at least one link click — calculated as (unique clicks ÷ delivered emails) × 100. UK email marketing benchmarks suggest an average CTR of 2–5% for B2C and 3–7% for B2B, though these vary significantly by industry, audience quality, and email type. CTR is a more reliable performance metric than open rate (which is inflated by Apple Mail Privacy Protection) because it reflects genuine engagement — a subscriber who clicks has actively chosen to interact with your content.
Click-to-open rate (CTOR) — clicks divided by opens — is increasingly used alongside CTR as it measures how compelling your email content is for those who actually read it, removing the noise of unopened emails from the calculation. A CTOR of 10–25% is considered healthy for most email types.
What affects email CTR
- Relevance — emails sent to segmented lists on topics the subscriber cares about generate 2–3× higher CTR than generic broadcasts
- Single, clear CTA — emails with one primary call-to-action consistently outperform emails with multiple competing links
- Button vs. link — a prominent button CTA typically outperforms a hyperlink for primary CTAs; though plain text emails may use text links effectively
- CTA copy — specific, benefit-focused CTA text ('Download the 2026 guide') outperforms generic text ('Click here' or 'Learn more')
- Personalisation — using subscriber name, purchase history, or location in email content increases relevance and CTR
- Content length and format — the right length depends on the email type; promotional emails should be concise, educational newsletters can be longer
- Mobile optimisation — over 60% of UK emails are opened on mobile; buttons should be at least 44px high and readable at small font sizes
The most effective email CTAs are specific about what happens next, benefit-focused, and action-oriented. Compare: 'Click here' (weak) vs. 'Read the full case study' (better) vs. 'See how we grew organic traffic by 240% for a Manchester retailer' (best). The CTA should follow naturally from the email content — if the email builds curiosity or makes a promise, the CTA delivers on it. Testing different CTA copy using A/B split testing within your email platform is the fastest way to identify what language resonates with your specific audience.
High open rates with low CTR indicates that your subject lines are compelling but your email content or CTAs are not delivering on the subject line's promise (bait-and-switch effect), or that your content is interesting but doesn't clearly direct readers toward a specific action. Review your emails for: a single primary CTA (remove competing links); a CTA that is clearly visible without scrolling (above the fold); content that builds naturally toward the CTA rather than covering multiple unrelated topics; and subject-to-content alignment (the email delivers what the subject line promised).