In a recent publication, we presented Google Ads mobile benchmarks for 18 industries. This sparked a reader’s insightful suggestion: wouldn’t it be beneficial to understand the typical click-through rate, conversion rate, and related metrics for each mobile ad type? We wholeheartedly agreed – our readers are brilliant!

Driven by this valuable feedback, we delved back into our dataset (a representative sample of mobile ads across over 20,000 US-based client accounts). This time, we categorized the data by ad type instead of industry. We’re eager to unveil these fresh benchmarks, showcasing the average CTR, average cost per click (CPC), average conversion rate (CVR), and average cost per action (CPA) for various mobile ad formats offered within Google Ads:

• Search Ads: Encompassing text ads, expanded text ads, and call-only ads
• Display Ads: Spanning standard display ads, responsive display ads, and Gmail ads
• Shopping Ads: Including standard shopping ads and showcase shopping ads
• Video Ads
• Mobile App Install Ads It’s crucial to remember that the performance indicators for these diverse mobile ad types within Google Ads can fluctuate significantly. Therefore, understanding what constitutes a satisfactory click-through rate or cost per click hinges on the specific types of mobile campaigns you’re executing. Let’s delve into the details!

Google Mobile Search Ads on the Rise

As anticipated, expanded text ads (which, since August, have become even more prominent) boast a higher click-through rate, nearing 4%, compared to standard, more concise text ads at 2.27%. Generally, ads commanding more screen real estate and conveying richer information tend to garner more clicks. These expanded ads also yield a higher conversion rate (3.6% versus 2.3%). Call-only ads (coupled with call tracking) are indispensable for industries where phone conversations are crucial for closing deals. Local service providers like plumbers and locksmiths exemplify this, but individuals often prefer a conversation before committing to significant expenditures, such as engaging a lawyer or procuring enterprise software. If this resonates with your business model, streamline the process for potential customers to connect with you directly from your mobile ads – the impressive conversion rate for call-only ads (21%) speaks volumes! This remarkable conversion rate helps maintain a reasonable cost per acquisition, even though the cost per click is more than double that of a basic text ad.

The Evolution of Google Mobile Display Ads

Michelle Morgan, a trusted voice in the field, previously highlighted best practices for responsive display ads, citing data that suggests these ads garner more impressions, experience higher CTRs, and enjoy a lower CPC. Our findings corroborate that responsive ads are indeed achieving superior performance metrics on mobile devices as well – averaging roughly twice the CTR (0.70% for responsive compared to 0.35% for standard display). Gmail ads stand out with an exceptionally high CTR of 20%. However, it’s essential to clarify that for Gmail ads, an open is registered as a click. Nonetheless, this still represents an impressive open rate for a paid promotion. It’s worth noting that the CPA for Gmail ads tends to be slightly higher than other mobile display formats. If you’re aiming to enhance performance and reduce expenses for your Gmail ads, exploring insights from industry experts like Larry Kim can prove invaluable.

Going Head-to-Head: Google Mobile Shopping Ads

Shopping ads and showcase shopping ads exhibit a close race – although standard shopping ads have a higher click-through rate, showcase shopping ads boast a higher conversion rate and slightly lower costs. As always, individual experiences may differ.

Exploring Other Mobile Ad Avenues

For businesses with an app, mobile app install ads are a strategic imperative. A compelling combination of a high conversion rate and low cost per click translates to acquiring a new user for an average of $5. (Of course, this holds true if a new app user brings more than $5 in value to your business.) It’s fascinating to note that over half of all video content is consumed on mobile devices. Mobile video ads, such as those on YouTube, offer cost-effectiveness comparable to search ads and can be exceptionally potent for bolstering brand awareness. For a consolidated overview, refer to the graphic below summarizing all the mobile ad type benchmarks:

Do any of these metrics come as a surprise? Are your own mobile ad campaigns falling short of expectations? Consider evaluating your Google Ads account using our complimentary performance grader to gain insights into how your mobile ads stack up against competitors with comparable budgets.

You might also find these resources valuable:

• 2021 search advertising benchmarks
• 2021 home services advertising benchmarks
• 2021 real estate advertising benchmarks
• 2021 healthcare advertising benchmarks

Data Sources:

This report draws upon a sample size of 20,297 US-based nexus-security client accounts encompassing various industries (representing a combined Google Ads expenditure exceeding $139 million) that ran campaigns on Google’s Search and Display networks throughout the 2017 calendar year. Each industry category includes a minimum of 35 distinct active clients. To account for potential outliers, “averages” are technically represented by median figures. All monetary values are denominated in USD. A special thanks to our Data Analyst, Patrick Henry Carrera, for compiling these figures, and to Kate Lindsay for her design contributions!