Google AdsUpdated October 2026Data Jan 2025 – Sep 2026
Google Ads Benchmarks 2026
From January to September 2026, the median Google Ads account paid $85 per lead, $2.32 per click and $32 per 1,000 impressions, and spent $2,975 a month.
Medians from Google ad accounts connected to HelloConversions, measured from the Google Ads API, not a survey. Each metric shows 2026 against 2025, and the full report adds the spread for every one. Fewer of these businesses advertise on Google than on Meta, so read the Google figures as directional.
Median Google Ads account, 2026 vs 2025
Cost per lead
$85
per lead, as Google Ads reports it, 2026
- 2025
- $66
- Middle half
- $70–$354
Cost per click
$2.32
per click, 2026
- 2025
- $2.62
- Middle half
- $1.32–$3.67
CPM
$32
per 1,000 impressions, 2026
- 2025
- $48
- Middle half
- $27–$86
Ad spend
$2,975
a month, per ad account, 2026
- 2025
- $3,807
- Middle half
- $990–$8,463
By month, 2025 vs 2026
On Google, the average click and impression both cost more.
Against the same months of 2025, the average CPM was 10% higher, click-through rate was 7% lower, and the average cost per click was 8% higher. The median account still paid less than in 2025; the higher average comes from accounts at the expensive end.
Google Ads · by month
Google: average cost per click, by month
On Google, the average cost per click was $2.97 from January to September 2026, 8% higher than the same months of 2025.
- 2025
- 2026 (to Sep)
| Month | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | $1.97 | $2.84 |
| Feb | $2.42 | $3.94 |
| Mar | $2.25 | $3.20 |
| Apr | $2.52 | $3.15 |
| May | $2.95 | $2.54 |
| Jun | $3.08 | $2.45 |
| Jul | $2.98 | $2.43 |
| Aug | $3.22 | $3.09 |
| Sep | $3.30 | $3.06 |
| Oct | $3.29 | not yet |
| Nov | $3.30 | not yet |
| Dec | $2.76 | not yet |
Mean across ad accounts with enough activity that month (at least 50 clicks or 5,000 impressions). Months with fewer than five active accounts are left out. Meta clicks are link clicks. Source: HelloConversions, Meta Marketing API and Google Ads API, Jan 2025 – Sep 2026.
16% lower
Median business, CRM-verified cost per lead vs the Meta-reported figure for the same spend
HelloConversions customers see a cost per lead 16% lower than Ads Manager reports
Same ad spend, more of the real leads counted. Meta's pixel misses leads that iOS privacy settings, blocked cookies and in-app browsers hide from it; the CRM still records them. The free report shows the comparison business by business.
How these benchmarks are built
- What's measured
- Spend, impressions, clicks and conversions from the Google Ads API, per ad account. Cost per lead uses the conversions Google Ads reports.
- Who's included
- Google ad accounts connected to HelloConversions, Jan 2025 – Sep 2026, pulled from the ad platform's own API rather than a survey. Each ad account counts once per year, unweighted, so a large account counts the same as a small one. We don't publish names or how many accounts there are, so every chart shows shares.
- Minimums
- An ad account counts toward a year with at least $1,000 in spend and 10,000 impressions, and toward a month with $250. A month with fewer than 5 qualifying ad accounts is left blank rather than shown from a handful.
- Medians and averages
- The headline figures are medians: half of ad accounts paid less, half paid more. Averages run higher because a minority of accounts pay far more than the rest, so each metric's page shows both, plus the spread.
- A smaller sample
- Fewer of these businesses advertise on Google than on Meta, so read the Google figures as directional.
- Updated monthly
- Complete months only, refreshed early each month; this page uses data through September 2026. Year-over-year changes on the monthly charts compare the same months of 2026 and 2025.
Questions
What are good Google Ads benchmarks for 2026?
From January to September 2026, the median Google Ads account paid $85 per lead, $2.32 per click and $32 per 1,000 impressions, and spent $2,975 a month. Landing below the median on cost puts you ahead of half of advertisers; each metric's page shows the full spread.
Did Google Ads get more expensive in 2026?
On Google, the average click and impression both cost more. Against the same months of 2025, the average CPM was 10% higher, click-through rate was 7% lower, and the average cost per click was 8% higher. The median account still paid less than in 2025; the higher average comes from accounts at the expensive end.
Where does this data come from?
From Google ad accounts connected to HelloConversions, pulled straight from the ad platform's API, and from the GoHighLevel CRMs they feed. It's measured data, not a survey. We don't publish names or how many accounts there are, so every chart shows the share of ad accounts rather than counts.
How often are these benchmarks updated?
Every month, as soon as the month is complete. The numbers here run through September 2026.
See where your numbers land
The full report puts every metric next to real GoHighLevel businesses: cost per lead, CAC, CPC, CTR and more, with the spread and the year-over-year change for each. Free, and it opens as soon as you submit.