Huble Google Ads Benchmarks for 2023

Using our clients’ Google Ads campaigns performance we have produced performance benchmarks for our 2022 campaign activities.

At Huble, we run a multitude of Google Ads campaigns for various industries every year. These campaigns have different goals and use a plethora of campaign types. We have collected all this data to provide performance benchmarks for the past year - which we always strive to exceed. In this article, you will find the results of this exercise.

To provide the most accurate results for each particular occasion, we have separated our data using several dimensions in our analysis. In the breakdown below the most basic separation is done based on the campaign type (search, display and video).

We break down the metrics according to branded/non-branded activity, funnel stage, and region. Branded/non-branded activity applies only to search campaigns. The funnel stages are divided into Top (TOFU), Middle (MOFU), and Bottom (BOFU). The regions are divided into AMER, EMEA, APAC, and global.

Since the analysis is being conducted on a campaign level there were some limitations in this breakdown. For example, when campaigns are targeting countries from two or more of the aforementioned regions they are classified as global. There were no true global campaigns.

Let’s dive into the results.

Google Search ads benchmarks

The benchmarks shown here are presented by each metric in the following sequence click-through rate (CTR) → cost per click (CPC) → conversion rate → cost per acquisition (CPA). Note that in most cases our conversions match contacts and not plain form submissions.

Google Search ads CTR benchmarks

Our 2022 average CTR for search campaigns was 5.83%. Branded campaigns had an average CTR of 14.04%. Non-branded campaigns had an average CTR of 4.20%.

Non-branded activity delivered 3.15% in AMER, 4.40% in EMEA and 4.06% in APAC. Branded activity delivered 28.87% in AMER, 9.66% in EMEA and 21.19% in APAC. Campaigns targeting a combination of regions saw an average of 5.95% from non-branded activity and 8.81% from branded activity.

In the tables below we demonstrate a breakdown of non-branded activity CTR for the various industries and funnel stages: 

Google Search ads CPC benchmarks

Our 2022 average cost-per-click (CPC) for search campaigns was R19.04. Our branded campaigns had an average CPC of R10.47. Non-branded campaigns had an average CPC of R24.76.

Regarding regional breakdown for non-branded activity, AMER had an average of R67.43, EMEA had R23.35, and APAC had R13.10. For branded activity, AMER had an average of R9.76, EMEA had R8.09, and APAC had R25.23. Campaigns targeting a global audience had an average of R23.80 for non-branded activity and R14.76 for branded activity.

We demonstrate a breakdown of CPC for different industries and funnel stages for non-branded activity in the tables below.

Google Search ads conversion rate benchmarks

Note that the results demonstrated here only take into account campaigns where their goal included some type of form-fill conversion.

The conversion rate of our search campaigns in 2022 was 7.59%. Branded campaigns had an average Conversion Rate of 12.59%. Non-branded campaigns had a conversion rate of 3.51%. 

Our overall conversion rate is skewed due to our branded campaigns. For a few clients, these campaigns constitute a significant part of their Google Ads activity.

For non-branded activity, 3.59% occurred in AMER, 3.89% in EMEA, and 1.92% in APAC. For branded activity, 18.04% occurred in AMER, 8.26% in EMEA, and 15.11% in APAC. Campaigns targeting a combination of regions had an average of 4.05% non-branded activity and 2.49% branded activity

We have broken down the Conversion Rate for the various industries and funnel stages for non-branded activity. This information is displayed in the tables below.

Google Search ads CPA benchmarks

Again, the results demonstrated here only take into account campaigns where their goal included some type of form-fill conversion. The average CPA for search campaigns in 2022 was R268.65.

Our branded campaigns had an average CPA of R82.17. Non-branded campaigns had an average CPA of R815.73. The overall number is drastically affected by the amount of branded activity in some of our client accounts. Similar to what can be seen from previous metrics.

Non-branded activity in AMER yielded R2102.08, in EMEA R651.39, and in APAC R952.20. The respective averages for branded activity were R54.54 (AMER), R95.7 (EMEA), and R167.19 (APAC). Campaigns targeting multiple regions yielded an average of R575.13 from non-branded activity and R596.09 from branded activity.

We have broken down the CPA for different industries and funnel stages for non-branded activity in the tables below.

Google Display ads benchmarks

In 2022, fewer of our clients ran Display campaigns than Search campaigns. Therefore, we have a shorter list of industries to display in the tables below. The benchmarks will be shown below in the same sequence as before (CTR → CPC → Conv. Rate → CPA)

Google Display ads CTR benchmarks

Our average CTR across all industries and regions in 2022 has been 0.44%.

There was a significant variation in values among industries as can be seen in the table below:

However, not too much variation can be seen when looking at a funnel stage breakdown:

Finally, it is interesting to see the differences in CTR between different regions. APAC appears to have a significantly higher CTR than all other regions.

Google Display Ads CPC Benchmarks

The average CPC for display campaigns across all of our clients was R10.01 in 2022.

There is a significant deviation between industries when it comes to CPC numbers. Additionally, there is a negative correlation between CPC and CTR, as expected.

There is also a high deviation for CPC when looking at the funnel stage breakdown. However, it is important to note that the majority of our display campaigns were considered TOFU.

Competition for Google Ads is strongest in AMER and EMEA. As a result, the average CPC is higher than in other regions.

Google Display ads conversion rate benchmarks

On the conversion rate side, our overall activity in 2022 demonstrated a 3.46%. We must acknowledge that this data is heavily influenced by the success of one industry. As can be seen below this industry is software developer.

Due to the above, we decided to split the below results into two categories. One for software developers and one for all the other industries. There is no data for TOFU campaigns in the software developer industry. Additionally, there is no data for BOFU campaigns in the other industries.

There is no APAC data for the software developer industry in the below tables. This is because there has been a lack of activity in that region for our relevant clients.

Google Display ads CPA benchmarks

The average CPA for display campaigns we ran in 2022 was R298.27. Similarly to the conversion rate results, this was heavily skewed by the software developer industry. As before we have split the results below accordingly.

As expected the below numbers have the same limitations as in the Conversion rate results.

Google Video ads benchmarks

A small amount of our client campaigns used the Google Video Ads campaign type in 2022. Thus the list of industries shown below is shorter than Display and Search.

Google Video ads CTR benchmarks

In 2022 our video ad campaigns on Google demonstrated an average CTR of 0.17%. As can be seen in the table below there are some large variations among different industries.

There are also large variations in the rates for the different funnel stages

The AMER region shows a multiple times higher CTR than any other region while EMEA demonstrates the lowest CTR.

Google Video ads CPC benchmarks

Our average CPC for video ads campaigns via Google Ads was R22.42 in 2022. Large variations can again be observed depending on industry and this is to be expected due to differences in competition.

At the same time, large variations can also be observed for the different funnel stages and regions.

Google Video ads conversion rate benchmarks

The number of campaigns aiming to achieve conversions was even smaller. Therefore, the list of industries included here is even shorter than for previous metrics of the video ads campaigns.

Our average conversion rate for video ad campaigns in Google Ads was 0.46%. A large variation in the value of the metric can be observed based on industry, funnel stage, and region. 

This is true even with this small number of industries. It is also important to note that we did not run any pure AMER or APAC targeting campaigns.

Google Video ads CPA benchmarks

Finally, we present the CPA benchmarks for our video ads campaigns on Google Ads. The average CPA across all accounts in 2022 was R3448.68. 

There is a large variation in CPA based on industry, funnel stage, and region. As expected, these numbers are inversely correlated with conversion rate values.

More content will be published for benchmarks in activities we ran using LinkedIn Ads and Facebook (Meta) Ads.

If you are looking to take your PPC campaigns to the next level, Huble’s PPC consultancy can help. Our experienced consultants have helped hundreds of businesses leverage their analytics, refine their targeting and maximise their PPC performance. 

Speak with our team today to unlock the full potential of your paid media efforts.