Simply creating a Google Ads campaign isn’t enough. To connect with shoppers and searchers, you need to optimize your click-through rate, or CTR for Google Ads. Used in all search engines advertising, your CTR not only helps determine your ad rank but also your cost per click (CPC). It’s the secret to ranking higher and lowering your costs.
Every Google Ads campaign has the same goal: to boost sales, leads, and views.
But to achieve that, it’s all about generating clicks. Clicks are how businesses receive and generate value. They’re the funnel used to turn your Google ads into actual money, sales, and profits.
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In this article, we’ll dive into the CTR, explaining the average CTR for Google Ads – and why it matters. We also discuss what you can do to improve it.
What is Google Ads Click-Through Rate?
As we said, the click-through rate, aka the CTR, isn’t exclusive to Google Ads. CTR is just the ratio of how often people who see your ad or free product listing end up clicking it. As Google Ads Help explains, “[CTR] can be used to gauge how well your keywords and ads, and free listings, are performing.”
To calculate a CTR, Google divides the number of clicks your ad receives by the number of times your ad is shown. For example, if you had 10 clicks and 100 impressions, the CTR would be 10%.
But it’s not just ads with CTRs; listings and keywords each have their own CTRs. The higher your CTR, the more users find your ads helpful and relevant. That should also contribute to your Ad rank – as CTR is a component of your keyword’s expected CTR.
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What’s the difference between the search and display network?
You’ll often see Google’s CTR data published in two datasets: the Search Network and the Display Network.
Google Search Network
The Search Network is Google’s ad platform aimed at text-based ads. You’ll see these advertisem*nts above and to the right of normal search engine results pages.
Google Display Network
On the other hand, the Display Network focuses on image-based ads, like banners. You’ll see these dotted on websites using the display network for advertising.
Because these two networks function differently, CTR can vary widely when comparing networks. For instance, according to Google, the average CTR for Google ads on the search network is 2%. In contrast, ads on the display network frequently have a much lower CTR – around 0.1%. So, if a thousand people see an ad, only one person will click, as compared to 20 for the search network.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads?
Now we know what click-through rate is – what is a good CTR Google Ads?
So, CTR is a ratio displayed as a percentage. The average CTR for Google Ads should fall somewhere between 3 and 5% – most marketers consider that good.
However,many companies have their average CTR for Google Ads much higher. A few rare businesses even have a CTR of 50% or more. That means that over half of the people seeing the ad are clicking through to the business website. Such success is typically reserved for branded campaigns, however.
Indeed, in a wider poll, HubSpot found an average CTR for Google Ads across all industries of 1.91% on the search network and only 0.35% on the display network. Even better, the higher your CTR, the higher both your ad quality scores and conversion rates will be. So, the CTR Google Ads level you’re aiming for depends on what your goal is. If you want to find your CTR, Google Ads displays it in the Keywords tab.
But what is a good CTR for Google Ads by industry? Take a look at the industry benchmarks below.
Related blogs:What is a good Click-Through Rate for Google Ads?andTop 10 Google Ads Tips for Small Businesses.
Google Ads Industry Benchmarks: Search Ads VS Display Ads
In the same study by HubSpot mentioned above, below you can find a complete breakdown of the latest Google Ads industry benchmarks:
Google Search Ads Industry Benchmarks
- Advocacy: 1.72%
- Auto: 2.14%
- B2B: 2.55%
- Consumer Services: 2.40%
- Dating and Personal: 3.40%
- eCommerce: 1.66%
- Education: 2.20%
- Employment Services: 2.13%
- Finance and Insurance: 2.65%
- Health and Medical: 1.79%
- Home Goods: 1.80%
- Industrial Services: 1.40%
- Legal: 1.35%
- Real Estate: 2.03%
- Technology: 2.38%
- Travel and Hospitality: 2.18%
Google Display Network (GDN) Industry Benchmarks
- Advocacy: 0.52%
- Auto: 0.41%
- B2B: 0.22%
- Consumer Services: 0.20%
- Dating and Personal: 0.52%
- eCommerce: 0.45%
- Education: 0.22%
- Employment Services: 0.14%
- Finance and Insurance: 0.33%
- Health and Medical: 0.31%
- Home Goods: 0.37%
- Industrial Services: 0.35%
- Legal: 0.45%
- Real Estate: 0.24%
- Technology: 0.84%
- Travel and Hospitality: 0.47%
How to improve your average CTR for Google Ads
Suppose you took a sneak peek at your Google Ads CTR score, and it’s below average – don’t panic. To help you boost your score – increasing views, sales, and profits – we’ve put together our best tips to improve your Google Ads CTR.
- Improve your Google Ads quality score
- Optimize your negative keywords
- Use ad extensions
- Finish with a strong call-to-action
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown on how you can improve your average CTR for Google Ads.
Related blogs:How to Get Your Products in Google ShoppingandHow to Get Traffic (AND Customers) to Your Website.
1. Improve your Google Ads quality score
CTR is only one of the metrics you’ll see in your Google Ads account. Not all of them impact your CTR. Your Quality Score is critical, however.
The quality score is a metric that ranks your keywords. It evaluates how relevant keywords are to your ad—the higher your quality score, the higher your ad ranks on Google.
So, to boost your CTR, tweak and reevaluate your keyword choices – looking for a change in your Quality Score. Better keywords will increase your popularity by rising up the search rankings.
2. Optimize your negative keywords
Keywords trigger your ad to be shown; however, negative keywords are search terms for which you don’t want the ad to show.
It’s the difference between being shown to the most people and being shown to the best people. As you pay for every click, you want to ensure that those who click are the most likely to buy. It’ll also increase your CTR by limiting your ad to interested people.
3. Use ad extensions
Ad extensions – they’re a simple but effective way to deck out your ad with additional information. Different extensions let you alter the ad in various ways, like adding in a phone number or customer reviews. For example, you can even use ad extensions to appear on Google Maps, capturing local shoppers.
Oh, and your ad will also appear much bigger on the page. In fact, ads with extensions can almost double in size.
4. Finish with a call-to-action
No ad is complete without a call-to-action (CTA). You can describe and explain your product to perfection. But forget a CTA, and what’s the point? A strong CTA compels a searcher to click, book, join or buy. It’s the thing you want them to do.
Add one in, and you’ll find your CTA shoot up – it’s such an easy fix.
Related blogs:How to Create QR Codes for Google My Business,SEO VS PPC VS SEM: What’s the Difference?&8 Strategies for Effective Call-Only Ads on Google.
Increase your CTR for Google Ads
Do you need help increasing your CTR for Google Ads? Contact Clicta Digital today for a free consultation! Our PPC experts understand the ins-and-outs of optimizing a Google Ads campaign to produce scalable results.
