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We know; competing in the digital marketing arena can feel overwhelming and daunting. The sheer volume of data, diverse performance metrics, and the constantly changing nature of Google Ads make it difficult to gauge where your business stands.
Is your cost-per-click too high? Or perhaps your click-through rates aren’t matching up to your expectations? And where does your performance stand in relation to others in your industry?
This is why we’ve taken a deep dive into our Google Ads industry benchmarks and came up with valuable insights across 15 distinct industries. We’ve synthesized the numbers into a comprehensive guide that sheds light on clicks, impressions, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, and cost in Google Ads, helping you better understand your place among your peers.
Understanding how your business performs can help you optimize your own campaigns, make better decisions and align your expectations with industry standards. If you want to delve even deeper, you can join Databox Benchmark Groups for free and get access to additional metrics and insights.
So let’s dig into the detailed breakdown of Google Ads benchmarks by industry.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads clicks for May 2023 was 1.39K.
Let’s take a closer look at clicks across different industries:
The number of clicks varies significantly across industries. Apparel & Footwear, along with eCommerce & Marketplaces, seem to be the most clickable industries, exceeding the median by a significant margin, possibly due to a more engaging online presence or a larger potential customer base. On the opposite end, Construction and Health Care are at the lower end of the spectrum. This could be due to the nature of these industries — customers tend to engage less frequently but with more intent, compared to more transactional sectors like retail.
PRO TIP: A good strategy to increase the number of clicks starts with understanding your market. Begin by researching your organization and its competitors in-depth before choosing any keywords. As you gather this data, observe trends and adjust your bidding strategies accordingly. Finally, ensure you anticipate and account for future market growth and shifts. A well-tuned, responsive strategy is key to maintaining high click rates over time.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads impressions for May 2023 was 39.76K.
Let’s take a closer look at impressions across different industries:
Impressions greatly vary, with Apparel & Footwear sitting comfortably at the top, exceeding the median almost 20 times. The eCommerce & Marketplaces and Food industries follow at a distant second and third. One possible reason for this dominance is a higher investment in online advertising or a larger potential customer base, benefiting from a high volume of products and frequent customer interactions. On the other end of the spectrum, the Construction industry has a five times lower number of impressions than the median, reflecting a more niche audience.
PRO TIP: Refining audience segmentation is a good way to increase Google Ads impressions. You can leverage demographic targeting along with interest-based categories since Google Ads allows you to target ads based on age, gender, parental status, and household income. Combine these with In-Market and Affinity audience categories to tailor your ads even more precisely to your ideal customer.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads CPC for May 2023 was $1.27.
Let’s take a closer look at CPC across different industries:
Health Care and Education industries exhibit the highest CPC, possibly reflecting the high value and competition for relevant keywords in these sectors. In contrast, eCommerce & Marketplaces and Apparel & Footwear show the lowest, potentially indicating better ad optimization in a competitive marketplace and a high volume of cheaper keywords relating to specific products.
PRO TIP: While experimenting with keywords is usually the go-to way to improve Google Ads CPC, you can look beyond them and leverage Google’s geotargeting to focus on areas that yield higher click-through rates, customize your bids based on device performance, and establish a strategic ad schedule that aligns with peak conversion times. By incorporating these adjustments, you’re effectively streamlining your ad spending and boosting ROI, all while ensuring that your overall campaign performance remains strong.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads CTR for May 2023 was 3.94%.
Let’s take a closer look at CTR across different industries:
The Travel & Leisure, Real Estate, Education, and Health Care industries are leading in terms of CTR, possibly due to higher ad relevance or better optimization. Apparel & Footwear and eCommerce & Marketplaces have comparatively low CTRs, reflecting the competitive nature of these sectors.
PRO TIP: You can improve your CTR by making good use of ad extensions, which incorporate more important details about your business directly into your Google Ads. Choose extensions that align with your business type and campaign objectives — for instance, location extensions for local businesses — to help your audience make quicker, more informed decisions. Setting up diverse ad extensions and adding descriptions to site link extensions will maximize your presence on Google.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads conversion rate for May 2023 was 3.42%.
Let’s take a closer look at conversion rates across different industries:
Interestingly, the Construction industry exhibits the highest conversion rate, suggesting that once users click on their ads, they’re more likely to follow through. The Automotive and Health & Wellness industries may need to improve their ad relevancy or landing pages due to lower conversion rates.
PRO TIP: A good way to boost your conversion rate is to do split testing. Test various ad variations, including design, copy, CTA positioning, and more, to identify what truly resonates with your audience. Continuous testing and incremental changes to your campaigns, rather than seeking a single dramatic shift, can gradually increase performance and result in a stronger return on investment.
Across all industries, the median value of Google Ads cost for May 2023 was $2,266.7.
Let’s take a closer look at costs across different industries:
The eCommerce & Marketplaces industry has the highest cost, followed closely by Apparel & Footwear, both well over the median. This aligns with the high traffic and competitiveness of the online retail sector, which necessitates a higher ad volume. Construction, conversely, has the lowest cost, likely reflecting a more targeted approach with a narrower audience.
PRO TIP: Deeper customization and granularity can lead to better-optimized costs in Google Ads and increased effectiveness. If you tailor bidding strategies to specific campaigns and types of content, you can maximize budget utilization and have a more cost-effective advertising strategy.
If you ever asked yourself:
Databox Benchmark Groups can finally help you answer these questions and discover how your company measures up against similar companies based on your KPIs.
When you join Benchmark Groups, you will:
The best part?
When it comes to showing you how your performance compares to others, here is what it might look like for the metric Average Session Duration:
And here is an example of an open group you could join:
And this is just a fraction of what you’ll get. With Databox Benchmarks, you will need only one spot to see how all of your teams stack up — marketing, sales, customer service, product development, finance, and more.
Sounds like something you want to try out? Join a Databox Benchmark Group today!
The data presented in this article is sourced from Databox Benchmark Groups, which are organized by industry. These groups allow companies to anonymously share their performance data, helping everyone gain insights and improve their strategies to drive more traffic to their websites.
To make this data even more valuable, we encourage you to join the relevant Benchmark Group for your industry or the group for all industries and contribute your own data. The more contributors we have, the more valuable the data becomes for everyone.
Below is a list of Google Ads Industry Benchmark Groups we used to create this research report. Simply click on the link for your industry to review the group and join it.
Be sure to explore Google Analytics benchmark reports as well.
Having a finger on the pulse of data can make the difference between an average ad campaign and an outstanding one. But this is just the beginning. The online landscape is constantly changing, making it vital to stay updated and keep evolving.
That’s where joining a Benchmark Groups can make a difference. It’s not just about having access to a trove of insightful data; it’s about joining a dynamic community that thrives on the sharing of information, making everyone’s experience better.
They can be your ultimate tool to answer those pressing questions: “How does our marketing fare against competitors?” “Are we maximizing our conversions?” “Do the costs justify the expense?” “Is our profit margin at par with the industry average?”
If you join, you’ll get precise, relevant, and free insights into Google Ads benchmarks for your industry. It’s a platform where you can anonymously compare your metrics with groups of similar companies. No need to wonder how your CPC fares or whether your landing page conversion rate is up to scratch. The answers are just a few clicks away.
And there’s more:
The cherry on top? All Benchmark Groups users get free access to a Databox plan, even if you’re already a Databox customer.
Are you ready to shift from the uncertainty of “What if” to the confidence of “Here’s how we compare?” Join our Databox Benchmark Groups today and take your marketing campaigns to the next level.
Are you maximizing your business potential? Stop guessing and start comparing with companies like yours.
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Marketing Research Analyst at Databox. Being an experienced Strategic and Creative Planner, with more than 15 years of practice, Nevena is passionately dedicated to untying the knots and entanglements of marketing, sales, and human behavior in order to deliver understandable, useful, and actionable insights for businesses.
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