Google Ads click-through rate
Good CTR for Google Ads: E-Commerce Benchmark
As of Aug 2026 adtribute customer panel Next update: Monthly, once the previous month completes across the panel
The monthly median Google Ads click-through rate across the DTC brands in our panel, from real Google Ads accounts rather than surveys or platform averages.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads? As of August 2026, the median Google Ads click-through rate across the DTC brands in our panel is 1.69 percent, up 0.2 points from 1.50 percent a year earlier. The middle half of these brands sits between 1.30 percent and 2.98 percent.
Key takeaways
- Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions across all campaign types on the Google Ads account.
- As of August 2026 the median is 1.69 percent, up 0.2 points from 1.50 percent a year earlier, with the middle half of brands between 1.30 percent and 2.98 percent.
- Since July 2022 the median has ranged from 1.43 percent (July 2024) to 2.30 percent (January 2023), down 0.1 points over the full window.
- The series is a balanced panel from July 2022: the same brands in every month, so the line moves because the market moved, never because the panel changed.
The data
| Period | Lower quartile | Google Ads click-through rate (median) | Upper quartile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 1.30% | 1.69% | 2.98% |
| Jul 2026 | 1.33% | 1.76% | 2.88% |
| Jun 2026 | 1.18% | 1.69% | 2.90% |
| May 2026 | 1.34% | 1.76% | 2.48% |
| Apr 2026 | 1.44% | 1.84% | 2.66% |
| Mar 2026 | 1.51% | 1.99% | 2.95% |
| Feb 2026 | 1.59% | 2.13% | 3.24% |
| Jan 2026 | 1.64% | 2.16% | 3.26% |
| Dec 2025 | 1.53% | 1.97% | 3.23% |
| Nov 2025 | 1.50% | 1.82% | 2.93% |
| Oct 2025 | 1.38% | 1.85% | 3.00% |
| Sep 2025 | 1.34% | 1.71% | 2.37% |
| Aug 2025 | 1.22% | 1.50% | 2.20% |
| Jul 2025 | 1.29% | 1.64% | 2.26% |
| Jun 2025 | 1.16% | 1.56% | 2.52% |
| May 2025 | 1.30% | 1.51% | 2.75% |
| Apr 2025 | 1.25% | 1.64% | 2.96% |
| Mar 2025 | 1.18% | 1.53% | 3.04% |
| Feb 2025 | 1.22% | 1.59% | 3.19% |
| Jan 2025 | 1.30% | 1.74% | 3.57% |
| Dec 2024 | 1.23% | 1.70% | 3.45% |
| Nov 2024 | 1.30% | 1.78% | 3.47% |
| Oct 2024 | 1.16% | 1.60% | 3.54% |
| Sep 2024 | 1.16% | 1.62% | 3.72% |
| Aug 2024 | 1.04% | 1.60% | 4.21% |
| Jul 2024 | 1.08% | 1.43% | 4.03% |
| Jun 2024 | 1.16% | 1.64% | 4.06% |
| May 2024 | 1.31% | 1.74% | 4.02% |
| Apr 2024 | 1.11% | 1.81% | 3.76% |
| Mar 2024 | 1.24% | 2.12% | 3.60% |
| Feb 2024 | 1.18% | 1.78% | 3.71% |
| Jan 2024 | 1.25% | 1.74% | 3.43% |
| Dec 2023 | 1.12% | 1.77% | 3.61% |
| Nov 2023 | 1.28% | 1.67% | 3.13% |
| Oct 2023 | 1.33% | 1.63% | 3.05% |
| Sep 2023 | 1.17% | 1.49% | 3.13% |
| Aug 2023 | 1.27% | 1.73% | 3.59% |
| Jul 2023 | 1.30% | 1.86% | 3.51% |
| Jun 2023 | 1.20% | 1.91% | 4.01% |
| May 2023 | 1.22% | 1.79% | 4.11% |
| Apr 2023 | 1.26% | 2.10% | 4.24% |
| Mar 2023 | 1.20% | 1.91% | 3.63% |
| Feb 2023 | 1.23% | 1.93% | 3.62% |
| Jan 2023 | 1.60% | 2.30% | 3.75% |
| Dec 2022 | 1.45% | 2.06% | 3.36% |
| Nov 2022 | 1.44% | 1.98% | 2.97% |
| Oct 2022 | 1.46% | 1.87% | 3.28% |
| Sep 2022 | 1.39% | 1.89% | 2.87% |
| Aug 2022 | 1.18% | 1.86% | 3.01% |
| Jul 2022 | 1.26% | 1.78% | 2.88% |
By industry
Latest month, same methodology, each computed from its own balanced panel.
| Segment | Aug 2026 | vs all industries | vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1.69% | - | ▲ +0.2 pts |
| Beauty & personal care | 1.60% | -0.1 pts | ▲ +0.1 pts |
| Fashion & accessories | 2.03% | +0.3 pts | ▲ +0.7 pts |
| Health & nutrition | 2.20% | +0.5 pts | ▲ +0.1 pts |
| Home & living | 1.54% | -0.1 pts | ▲ +0.2 pts |
What this means for e-commerce and DTC brands
CTR shows whether ads match the intent behind the searches they appear on. Read it next to CPC: rising CTR with stable CPC usually means better relevance, while falling CTR with rising CPC means the account is paying more for weaker placements.
What this benchmark does not tell you
Shopping and Performance Max impressions carry structurally different CTRs than Search, so the brand-level campaign mix moves the account-level number. The panel reflects adtribute's customer base, which skews toward growth-stage direct-to-consumer brands.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CTR for Google Ads?
For the DTC brands in our panel, the median Google Ads click-through rate is 1.69 percent as of August 2026, up 0.2 points from 1.50 percent a year earlier, and the middle half of brands sits between 1.30 percent and 2.98 percent. By industry, the median ranges from 1.54 percent in home & living to 2.20 percent in health & nutrition. It is measured across the whole account, so a good CTR depends on your campaign mix: Search campaigns sit well above it, Shopping, Performance Max and video below it.
What is the average CTR for Google Ads?
The median across our panel is 1.69 percent. Averages of 3 to 6 percent quoted elsewhere usually describe Search campaigns only. Shopping, Performance Max, Display and YouTube impressions are counted here too, and they carry far lower click-through rates.
Is a 6 percent CTR good on Google Ads?
For a non-brand Search campaign, 6 percent is healthy. As an account-level figure for an e-commerce brand it is above the top quartile of 2.98 percent, often a sign that brand search takes a large share of the budget, since branded keywords routinely reach far higher click-through rates.
What is the average Google Ads CTR by industry?
Latest medians: home & living 1.54 percent, beauty & personal care 1.60 percent, fashion & accessories 2.03 percent, health & nutrition 2.20 percent. The spread mostly reflects campaign mix: accounts that lean on Search reach higher rates than those built on Shopping and Performance Max. The all-industries median is 1.69 percent.
How do I improve CTR in Google Ads?
For Search, match ad text closely to the keyword and use all relevant assets. For Shopping and Performance Max, the product feed is the ad: complete titles with the terms shoppers use, sharp images and competitive prices lift CTR more than anything else. Read CTR next to CPC: a rising CTR at a stable CPC usually means better relevance.
Where does this benchmark come from, and how often is it updated?
It is aggregated from the connected ad accounts, first-party tracking and Shopify orders of a subset of adtribute customers, all direct-to-consumer brands. The panel is balanced, the same brands in every month since July 2022, so the line moves because the market moved, not because the panel changed. Only medians and quartile bands are published, never a single brand's value, and the series updates every month.
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