The percentage of content readers or page visitors who click on an affiliate link. Affiliate link CTR = (affiliate link clicks ÷ page visitors) × 100. Benchmark CTRs by content type: dedicated product review: 8-15% CTR (readers visited specifically to evaluate the product); best-of roundup: 3-8% CTR (readers are browsing, not yet committed to a specific product); buying guide: 2-5% CTR (early-stage research, lower immediate action intent); tutorial content with product integration: 1-4% CTR (task-focused, product recommendation is secondary). Factors affecting affiliate link CTR: link placement (above-the-fold and early-in-content links outperform bottom-of-page links); link text (descriptive action text like 'Check current price' outperforms generic 'click here'); link frequency (too few links miss conversion opportunities; excessive links feel promotional and reduce trust); content specificity (content that closely matches the reader's specific need generates higher CTR than generic content); comparison table inclusion (tables with visible affiliate links generate high CTR because readers actively scan them when evaluating options). CTR optimization: A/B testing link text, placement, and button vs. text link format reveals CTR improvement opportunities; publishers tracking CTR by content piece can identify which pages have high traffic but low CTR (link optimization opportunity) vs. high CTR but low traffic (SEO opportunity).
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