From January through September 2025, our research team analyzed Google Ads performance data across 23 industries, compiling click-through rate benchmarks from over 16,000 campaigns.
This report presents the most current CTR statistics to help businesses optimize their paid search advertising strategies and improve ad engagement across search and display networks.
In this report, you’ll find the average Google Ads CTR based on:
- Google Ads Average Click-Through Rates by Industry
- Google Ads CTR Performance Tiers by Campaign Type
- Monthly Google Ads CTR Trends
- Google Ads CTR by Ad Position and Quality Score
Google Ads Average Click-Through Rates by Industry: 2025
| Industry | Search Network CTR | Display Network CTR | Performance Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Entertainment | 10.67% | 1.55% | High Performer |
| Advocacy | 4.41% | 0.59% | Above Average |
| Auto | 4.00% | 0.83% | Above Average |
| B2B | 2.41% | 0.46% | Average |
| Consumer Services | 6.64% | 0.65% | High Performer |
| Dating & Personals | 6.05% | 0.72% | Above Average |
| E-commerce | 2.69% | 0.51% | Average |
| Education | 3.78% | 0.53% | Above Average |
| Employment Services | 2.42% | 0.59% | Average |
| Finance & Insurance | 2.91% | 0.52% | Average |
| Health & Medical | 3.27% | 0.59% | Above Average |
| Home Goods | 2.44% | 0.49% | Average |
| Industrial Services | 2.61% | 0.50% | Average |
| Legal | 2.93% | 0.59% | Average |
| Real Estate | 3.71% | 1.08% | Above Average |
| Technology | 2.09% | 0.39% | Below Average |
| Travel & Hospitality | 4.68% | 0.47% | Above Average |
Key Insights:
- Top Performers Drive 5x Higher Engagement: Arts & Entertainment leads with a 10.67% search CTR, demonstrating how visual and experiential industries naturally generate higher click-through rates than traditional service sectors.
- Search Dramatically Outperforms Display: Across all industries, search network CTRs average 680% higher than display network performance, with the largest gaps occurring in consumer-facing industries like Arts & Entertainment (589% difference) and Consumer Services (921% difference).
- Industry Intent Correlation: Industries with immediate need fulfillment (Consumer Services, Dating, Auto) consistently achieve above-average CTRs, while longer consideration cycles (Technology, B2B, Home Goods) show lower engagement rates.
Google Ads CTR Performance Tiers by Campaign Type: 2025
| Campaign Type | Average CTR | Top 25% CTR | Improvement Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Campaigns | 3.17% | 5.8%+ | 83% upside potential |
| Shopping Campaigns | 0.66% | 1.2%+ | 82% upside potential |
| Display Campaigns | 0.46% | 0.8%+ | 74% upside potential |
| Video Campaigns | 2.0% | 3.5%+ | 75% upside potential |
| Performance Max | 4.2% | 7.1%+ | 69% upside potential |
Key Insights:
- Performance Max Shows Strong Results: With an average CTR of 4.2%, Performance Max campaigns outperform traditional search by 32%, indicating that Google’s automation improvements are driving meaningful engagement gains.
- Top Quartile Achievement Gap: The substantial difference between average and top-quartile performance across all campaign types reveals significant optimization opportunities for most advertisers.
- Shopping Campaign Underperformance: Despite product intent, Shopping campaigns exhibit the lowest average CTRs, indicating that many retailers haven’t optimized their product feeds and bid strategies effectively.
Monthly Google Ads CTR Trends: 2025
| Month | Search Network | Display Network | Month-over-Month Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.05% | 0.44% | Baseline |
| February | 3.12% | 0.45% | +2.3% / +2.3% |
| March | 3.18% | 0.46% | +1.9% / +2.2% |
| April | 3.24% | 0.47% | +1.9% / +2.2% |
| May | 3.19% | 0.46% | -1.5% / -2.1% |
| June | 3.15% | 0.45% | -1.3% / -2.2% |
| July | 3.22% | 0.47% | +2.2% / +4.4% |
| August | 3.28% | 0.48% | +1.9% / +2.1% |
| September | 3.17% | 0.46% | -3.4% / -4.2% |
Key Insights:
- Q2 Peak Performance: April marks the year’s CTR peak at 3.24% for search, coinciding with increased business activity and budget refreshes following the start of the new fiscal year.
- Summer Volatility: July shows a strong recovery (+2.2%), followed by a decline in September (-3.4%), likely reflecting the impact of vacation scheduling on both advertiser activity and audience availability.
- Steady Display Growth: Display CTRs show consistent month-over-month improvements through August, with only a minor September decline, suggesting display audiences maintain engagement during seasonal fluctuations.
Google Ads CTR by Ad Position and Quality Score: 2025
| Ad Position | Average CTR | Quality Score 8-10 | Quality Score 4-7 | Quality Score 1-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position 1 | 7.94% | 9.8% | 7.2% | 5.1% |
| Position 2 | 5.23% | 6.8% | 4.9% | 3.2% |
| Position 3 | 3.41% | 4.6% | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Position 4+ | 1.92% | 2.8% | 1.7% | 1.0% |
Key Insights:
- Top Position Premium: Position 1 ads achieve 52% higher CTRs than Position 2, demonstrating the continued value of securing top ad placements despite increased competition and costs.
- Quality Score Multiplier Effect: High-Quality Score ads (8-10) achieve 92% higher CTRs at Position 1 compared to low-Quality Score ads (1-3), emphasizing the compounding benefits of ad relevance and landing page experience.
- Lower Position Optimization: Even at Position 4+, high-Quality Score ads (2.8%) outperform low-Quality Score Position 2 ads (3.2%), indicating that relevance can partially offset position disadvantages.
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Sources
- Focus Digital Research Study – Author: Focus Digital – Location: Greensboro, NC – Date: October 2025
- Varos Benchmarks Database – Author: Varos Analytics Platform – Publication Date: April 2025 – Location: San Francisco, CA
- WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks – Author: WordStream Inc. – Publication Date: September 2025 – Location: Boston, MA
- First Page Sage CTR Analysis – Author: Evan Bailyn, First Page Sage – Publication Date: August 2025 – Location: Long Island, NY
- AgencyAnalytics Performance Report – Author: AgencyAnalytics Team – Publication Date: September 2025 – Location: Toronto, Canada