What Is an Impression in Advertising?

If you’re running campaigns on TrafficStars or just diving into media buying, you’ve probably seen the word “impression” in your campaign stats. But what is an impression in advertising, really?

In simple terms, an impression is counted every time your ad is shown to a user. It doesn’t mean they clicked or engaged—just that your ad appeared on their screen. Whether it’s a Popunder, Banner, Native ad, or even an Interstitial—each display counts as one impression.

So, when people ask, “what is an advertising impression?”, the answer is: it’s a view. A moment of visibility. And in the world of digital advertising, impressions are one of the first steps toward getting attention and conversions.

What Is an Impression in Digital Advertising?

In digital advertising, impressions are how you measure exposure. It’s one of the most basic metrics in platforms like TrafficStars, where you might be tracking:

• How many users saw your ad (impressions)
• How many clicked it (clicks)
• How well it performed (CTR, conversions, ROI)

Understanding what is an impression in online advertising helps advertisers budget, optimize, and evaluate campaign effectiveness—especially when paired with click-through rate (CTR).

What Is Impression Click-Through Rate (CTR)?

Now that you know what an impression is, let’s talk about the next key metric: CTR — or click-through rate. CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) × 100 This tells you how engaging your ad is. A high CTR usually means strong creative and targeting.

Now that you know what an impression is, let’s talk about the next key metric: CTR or click-through rate.

So, what is impression click-through rate? It’s the percentage of users who saw your ad (impressions) and clicked on it. The formula is simple:

CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) × 100

This tells you how engaging your ad is. A higher CTR usually means your creative and targeting are doing their job.

Well, it depends on the format, GEO, niche, and placement. But as a general benchmark:

1. 0.1%–0.5% is normal for Popunder and Display ads
2. 0.5%–1%+ is considered good for highly targeted or retargeted campaigns

How This Applies on TrafficStars

On TrafficStars, impressions are the foundation of every campaign. Whether you're buying on CPM, Smart CPM, or even CPA models, you start by buying impressions—visibility.

To optimize:

• Use frequency capping so users don’t see your ad too often
• Track CTR by zone/source and blacklist low-performers
• A/B test creatives to find the combo that turns impressions into clicks

Remember, not all impressions are equal. The real power is in targeted impressions + high CTR, which leads to conversions and profit.

So, to recap:

What is an impression in advertising? → Each time your ad is displayed to a user.

What is impression click-through rate? → How many of those views turned into clicks.

What is a good click to impression ratio? → Varies by format, but the higher, the better.

In short, impressions are step one. But turning them into results? That’s where smart targeting, creative testing, and real-time data from TrafficStars come in.