Google Ads is the most in-demand advertising platform in the world. Average CPCs range from £0.48 to £1.95 depending on the channel. In this article, we take a closer look at how much Google Ads cost across different industries and how these ads compare to other platforms.
The first thing advertisers will look at when assessing the potential cost of any platform is the average cost per click (CPC). Of course, the amount you pay for each click depends on all kinds of factors; your industry, business niche, competition, keywords, campaign quality, account settings and many other details.
That said, we can get a rough idea of what you should expect to pay for Google Ads by looking at industry averages.
According to data from WordStream, the average Google Ads CPC is £1.95 on the Search Network. The same data shows that average CPCs on the display network is £0.48 while the average for Google Shopping campaigns is £0.54.
This compares to average CPCs of £1.25 on Microsoft Ads, which generally works out cheaper for the same keyword, plus Bing traffic tends to result in higher conversion rates.
Average CPCs vary greatly across different industries. It’s important to understand that you may have to pay more for keywords in certain niches.
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If you’re in the legal, financial or healthcare sectors, you’re going to have some of the highest CPCs around. Also, keep in mind that the CPCs for the most competitive keywords in these niches will be significantly more expensive too.
At the opposite end of the scale, restaurants, cafes and bars enjoy some of the lowest PCs. You’ll find similar averages for clothing, travel and fitness brands.
Related content: 5 effective PPC strategies for restaurants
Most brands running campaigns on Google Ads are also going to be advertising on social media. So, to put things into context, let’s take a quick look at the average CPCs for some of the most popular social advertising platforms.
As you can see, the Google Ads cost is generally more competitive than many of the major social platforms.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that Google Ads allows you to target users with a strong purchase intent who are actively searching for products, purchase advice and relevant information. With the right Google Ads (or Microsoft Ads) campaign, you can target users who are ready to buy now in a way that’s not so easy to achieve with social advertising.
This is the key benefit of paid search and it makes sense that social CPCs should be lower on average.
It’s important not to get too obsessed about how much you’re paying for individual clicks. The most important factor to consider is how much you’re getting in return. So what kind of ROI can you expect to get from advertising on Google Ads?
Well, Google itself has run the numbers across global accounts and found that for every $1 a business spends on Google Ads, they generate an average of $8 in profit.
Related content: How long does it take for PPC to work?
Global brands can spend significant figures on Google Ads campaigns but the great thing about PPC is that you can make it work on budgets of all sizes. In fact, the average SME spends up to £8,000 per month on Google Ads. Here’s a breakdown of what you might expect from this kind of budget.
Now, the trick to maximising profit from your Google Ads strategy is turning as many of those monthly clicks as possible into paying customers. The average landing page conversion rate is roughly 2.35% which would generate roughly 100 conversions from 4,188 visitors, but conversion rates are one area where you definitely don’t want to settle for averages.
While optimising your Google Ads campaigns to maximise clicks will bring in more traffic to your website, you have to ensure your landing pages and website are optimised to turn those visits into conversions. You’re paying for each click but you’re not getting any ROI until users hit the pay button.
Find out more about our Google Ads services or if you’d like to speak to one of our PPC specialists, contact us on 02392 830281 or submit your details here.
James has led Vertical Leap’s PPC team since early 2012, and is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery that our customers relish. He has a wealth of experience, having managed PPC campaigns across all markets and platforms for more than 15 years, and manages a thriving team of experts. An ecommerce specialist, he loves the data driven nature of PPC. After achieving a BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering at university, he applied his strong problem-solving and mathematical skillset to paid advertising, where he can optimise and analyse the complexities of click and conversion data. James can very quickly identify and solve any hurdles surrounding a PPC campaign to ensure quick wins, successful results and ongoing ROI. James loves his motorbike, brewing, and camping in all weathers; but spends virtually all his weekends sailing his sea fishing boat around the Isle of Wight not managing to catch anything to feed his family.
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