The difference between impressions and clicks: what does it really say about your online visibility?

When analysing your website performance or ads, you will undoubtedly come across them: impressions and clicks. Two terms that are regularly confused, even though they reveal a fundamental difference in user behaviour. If you want to get more out of your digital marketing strategy, understanding this difference is essential. But more importantly: how do you translate these figures into valuable actions?

What is an impression anyway?

An impression is created when a link or advertisement appears on a user's screen. This does not even have to be in a conspicuous place. Even if your page is onderaan in the search results, it counts as an impression as soon as it is visible on the screen or comes into view through scrolling. So it is a metric that says something about how often you are visible, not about whether someone actually paid attention to you.

Yet impressions are often overestimated. It is tempting to see high numbers as success, but visibility zonder engagement says little about effectiveness. You can collect thousands of impressions zonder that someone actually does something with your content or ad.

Clicks are proof of commitment

Clicks go a step further. They show that someone was actually interested enough to onderake action. A click means that a user wants to read further, buy something or is simply curious. Whereas impressions only measure passive visibility, clicks are an active signal.

In many cases, that makes clicks more valuable than impressions. They give you a concrete picture of what is or is not working. Which keywords are driving traffic? Which ad copy triggers someone to click through? With this information, you can make targeted optimisations.

Why the difference is relevant for SEO and SEA

Whether you are doing search engine optimisation or search engine advertising, the difference between these two concepts forms the basis of your analysis. Imagine: your page appears regularly in search results, but hardly anyone clicks through to your website. Then there is probably work to be done on meta titles, descriptions or positioning in search results.

The reverse is also true: if you have a relatively low number of impressions but a high click-through rate, you know your content or ad is attractive enough. In that case, you could attract more traffic by increasing your visibility through better search positions or wider reach in your ads.

Click-through rate as a valuable indicator

The click-through rate connects both metrics. You calculate it by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions. The result shows what percentage of people who saw your ad or search result actually clicked through.

A high click-through rate usually indicates relevant content or a strong ad. A low ratio can be a signal that your message does not properly match the user's intent. With SEO, for example, this is often a matter of keywords not matching the page content. With ads, it could be due to unclear or boring text.

What impressions and clicks reveal about your brand perception

Impressions give an indication of your visibility, but say nothing about how people perceive your brand. Clicks, on the other hand, indicate that you are releasing something. A click is a small form of trust. Someone thinks: this is interesting, I want to check this out further. By analysing what people do and don't click on, you will discover how your brand is perceived and what people expect when they come across your name or service.

It is therefore wise to regularly compare these data side by side. Are many visitors coming in via the same search term? Are there striking differences in clicks between desktop and mobile? Or do many people see your content, but almost everyone drops out? By looking deeper than the raw numbers, you will discover patterns that influence your brand perception.

Authority affects your click rate more than you think

Besides content and visibility, brand authority also plays a role in click behaviour. A website that is mentioned or linked to more often in other relevant places exudes trustworthiness. Even if users don't know exactly why, they are more likely to click on a brand they recognise or come across more often. This means that working on your online authority has a direct impact on the number of clicks you receive.

In our blog on increase domain authority we explain how to build that: with consistent content, strategic link building and visibility on external platforms. The result is reflected in better positions and a more convincing appearance in search results, which generates more clicks.

Want to learn how to read, understand and use this data to get better results? During our SEO training you will learn how to move from data to action, with a grip on impressions, clicks and everything in between. Because getting insight is one thing, but knowing what to do with it is where the difference is made.