Organic CTR Calculator
A CTR calculator is a tool that measures how often people who see your result actually click it. The formula…
Free percentage change calculator
Enter an old and a new value to get the percent increase or decrease, with the formula shown.
For rates such as CTR or conversion rate, enter the percentages as numbers (2.4 and 3.1) and choose the Rates option.
Result
0Absolute change
0Percent change
0New ÷ old
The free percentage change calculator runs in your browser, needs no sign-up and never sends what you type anywhere.
Quick answer
Percentage change equals the new value minus the old value, divided by the old value, times 100. Going from 1,200 to 1,500 clicks is a 25% increase; going from 1,500 back to 1,200 is a 20% decrease. For rates like CTR, also report the change in percentage points, because 2% to 3% is +1 point but +50%.
What is a percentage change calculator?
A percentage change calculator is a tool that shows how much a value grew or shrank relative to where it started. The formula is (new - old) ÷ |old| × 100: a positive result is an increase, a negative result is a decrease, and the change is undefined when the old value is 0.
How do you use the Percentage Change Calculator?
- Enter the old value (the earlier period) and the new value (the later period).
- Choose Percentage change for growth over time, Percentage difference for two values with no before and after, or Rates for CTR and conversion rate.
- Pick what you are comparing so the tips match: clicks, traffic, revenue or average position.
- Read the result, the absolute change and the multiplier, with the formula written out.
- Copy the numbers into your report and say which date ranges you compared.
How do you calculate percentage increase or decrease?
Subtract the old value from the new value, divide by the old value and multiply by 100. From 800 to 1,000 sessions is (1,000 - 800) ÷ 800 × 100 = 25% increase; from 1,000 to 800 is a 20% decrease. A negative result always means a decrease.
What is the difference between percentage points and percent change?
Percentage points are the simple gap between two rates; percent change is that gap relative to the starting rate. A CTR that moves from 2% to 3% rose by 1 percentage point, which is a 50% relative increase. Google Search Console shows CTR as a rate, so both views are useful, as its Performance report help explains for comparing date ranges.
Why can a 50% drop not be fixed by a 50% increase?
Because each percentage is measured from a different starting value. Traffic that falls 50% from 10,000 to 5,000 needs a 100% increase to get back to 10,000. That is why recovering from a traffic drop or algorithm update usually looks bigger in percentage terms than the loss did.
Quick reference
| Old value | New value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200 clicks | 1,500 clicks | +25.00% increase |
| 1,500 clicks | 1,200 clicks | 20.00% decrease |
| 10,000 sessions | 5,000 sessions | 50.00% decrease |
| 2.0% CTR | 3.0% CTR | +1 point, +50.00% relative |
| $4,000 revenue | $4,600 revenue | +15.00% increase |
| 0 clicks | 250 clicks | Not a percentage (+250 new) |
Worked example
Example
Example: a blog post had 1,200 organic clicks in the previous 28 days and 1,500 in the last 28 days in Search Console. The change is (1,500 - 1,200) ÷ 1,200 × 100 = +25%. Its CTR moved from 2.4% to 3.1%, which is +0.7 percentage points or a 29.17% relative increase. If clicks later fell back to 1,200, that would be a 20% decrease.
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
What is the formula for percentage change?
Percentage change = (new value - old value) ÷ |old value| × 100. Use the absolute value of the old number as the base so negative starting values do not flip the sign. The result is positive for an increase and negative for a decrease.
How do I calculate percentage change in Excel or Google Sheets?
Put the old value in A2 and the new value in B2, then use =(B2-A2)/ABS(A2) and format the cell as a percentage. Wrap it in =IFERROR(...,"n/a") to avoid errors when the old value is 0.
What if the old value is zero?
Percentage change from zero is undefined, because you cannot divide by zero. Report the absolute change instead, for example "250 new clicks", or start measuring from the first period with real data. Calling it an infinite or 100% increase is misleading.
Is percentage difference the same as percentage change?
No. Percentage change has a direction, from old to new. Percentage difference compares two values with no order, dividing the gap by their average, so swapping the numbers gives the same result. Use it to compare two pages or two competitors at the same time.
How should I report a traffic drop to a client?
Give the absolute numbers, the percentage change and the date ranges, for example "organic clicks fell 18% from 5,000 to 4,100, last 28 days vs previous 28 days". Add likely causes you checked, such as seasonality, tracking changes, lost rankings or Google updates.
Is a percentage change in average position meaningful?
Rarely. Average position is a rank, where lower is better, so a move from 10 to 5 is better reported as "up 5 places" than as "50% decrease". Use percentages for clicks, impressions, sessions and revenue, and places for rankings.
Sources
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