Consumer dynamics have shifted after more than a year of lockdowns. Some sectors have felt the brunt of the economic crisis while others fared better than they did pre-pandemic. But one thing is certain: pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is here to stay, and PPC statistics 2021 prove it.
According to a report published by eMarketer, search ad spending grew by as much as 5.9 percent in 2020. In a year where ad spending was expected to drop, PPC agency owners and PPC marketing pros have demonstrated that PPC is one of the best ways to generate business growth.
Even during this period of diminished economic activity, a powerful PPC strategy can be transformative for your business because:
• It gives consistent, near-instant results.
• It’s a reliable source of good-quality leads.
• It allows greater control over your marketing spending.
• It features powerful targeting options.
• It’s measurable and optimizable.
• It works well with other digital marketing methods.
Ask any PPC agency or PPC management expert: A well-established PPC marketing strategy can position your business for greater success. That’s why we’ve compiled some of the best pay per click statistics in recent years to help guide your strategic decisions.
General PPC Statistics 2021
The following pay per click stats provide insights into the general state of the world of PPC marketing. Specifically, these PPC stats show what the search marketing landscape looks like, how users perceive PPC ads, Google Ads click-through rate (CTR) and the overall effectiveness of a PPC management campaign.
1. Companies spent $110 billion on search advertising in 2020 (Statista, 2021).
According to PPC stats 2021, businesses continue to invest in PPC management and have increased their spending on PPC ads to generate revenue. This information about PPC advertising clearly demonstrates that business owners and marketers recognize the effectiveness of PPC ads.
2. PPC was ranked as one of the top three best channels for high-volume leads (Formstack, 2020).
In its study, Formstack asked how marketers were currently driving leads. PPC ranked third (17 percent) behind on-page website conversions (24 percent) and email marketing (18 percent) as the best sources of high-volume leads.
3. Seventy-seven percent of online users say they can easily recognize paid search ads (Clutch, 2018).
Why is this piece of PPC info relevant, you ask? Well, people have developed an aversion to online advertising, finding it too disruptive and “salesy.” This is predominantly because of invasive traditional advertising and sketchy online advertising techniques used by other marketers.
4. On average, PPC ads have a clickthrough rate of 11.38 percent (Sparktoro, 2019).
The CTR for ads occupying different spots in search results may differ, but a properly optimized ad can expect an average CTR of about 11 percent. This is by no means the maximum CTR but is helpful as a benchmark for determining the success of your campaigns.
5. Thirty-three percent of surveyed users say they click on paid search ads because they directly answer their search queries (Clutch, 2018).
Users trust results that speak out to them and attempt to solve their pain points. In a survey of 506 respondents, 75 percent said they click on ads that make it easier for them to find the information they’re looking for. This highlights the importance of creating ads that address users’ queries or are relevant to them to attract their attention and earn a click-through.
Users trust results that speak out to them and attempt to solve their pain points. In a survey of 506 respondents, 75 percent said they click on ads that make it easier for them to find the information they’re looking for. This highlights the importance of creating ads that address users’ queries or are relevant to them to attract their attention and earn a click-through.
Search Advertising Statistics
Search advertising is a powerful marketing tool that factors in the user’s search intent in determining the relevance of your ads. Take a look at the search advertising statistics below to see how users perceive and interact with ads so you can improve your quality score.
1. Among all the different types of PPC ads, text ads are the most popular, with 49 percent of users preferring to click these over shopping ads (31 percent) and video ads (16 percent) (Clutch, 2018).
User preferences differ based on the intent behind each user’s search. People at different stages of their buying journey will click on a different type of ad. Most notably, text ads generally speak to buyers at the research stage and looking for information that could inform their buying decisions. Understanding user intent can help you create the type of ad most likely to lead to a click.
2. Over 27 percent of users today use an ad blocker (Search Engine Journal, 2021).
Ad publishers reportedly lost approximately $35 billion in revenue in 2020 due to the increased usage of ad blockers. Among all ad-block users, 38 percent are desktop and laptop users, 25 percent are on smartphones and 15 percent on tablets. Restricting your ads to only mobile users is one way to circumvent ad block software.
3. The top three reasons why users use ad blockers include being shown way too many ads (49 percent), being shown annoying/irrelevant ads (47 percent) and ads being too intrusive (44 percent) (Global Web Index, 2019).
From the same study, 38 percent of users also highlighted ads taking up too much screen space and bugs/viruses in ads as reasons why they choose to use ad blockers. In a nutshell, the main culprit is the self-sabotaging behavior of some advertisers that hurt revenue, which is another reason you need to consider what the user wants when creating ads.
Google Ads Statistics
When it comes to online advertising, Google leads the pack as it controls about 90 percent of global search traffic. With its expansive ad network, Google Ads lets you increase web traffic and drive sales for your business. Look at the following Google Ads statistics to find useful benchmarks such as Google Ads CTR, average cost per click and other useful Google Ads statistics.
1. According to pay per click statistics, 65.7 percent of people trust Google more than they do Facebook and TikTok (seoClarity, 2021).
In a recent survey, seoClarity found that out of all tech giants, including various ad publishers, Americans trusted Google (65.7 percent) the most, with Amazon (65.1 percent) and Microsoft (63.9) not far behind. The survey also revealed that 1 in 5 Americans will always trust Google because they believe that everything shown is properly vetted.
2. The average Google Ads CTR is 1.91 percent (WebFX, 2019).
Surprisingly, Bing Ads had a 48.2 percent higher conversion rate with a CTR of 2.83 percent. Average cost per click for Google Ads is also higher at about $1 to $2, while Bing Ads average cost per click is under $1. However, do note that the Google ad network is broader than that of Microsoft.
3. The average conversion rate for Google ads is 3.75 percent (WebFX, 2019).
In contrast, the average conversion rate for Bing Ads is at 2.94 percent. But don’t rule out Bing Ads just yet because of these PPC stats. While the Google network offers more reach, Bing allows you to access over 53 million desktop users that Google can’t. So, always consider your audience.
eCommerce PPC Statistics
PPC stats 2021 show that paid traffic for eCommerce PPC is some of the cheapest in the industry. This gives you plenty of flexibility in fine-tuning your PPC management strategy without making a significant dent in your marketing budget. Use these pay per click statistics to improve your PPC strategy.
1. Seventy percent of search traffic comes from phrases that contain 4 to 6 words (QuanticMind, 2019).
Some of the more popular search terms in eCommerce contain unique modifiers. Some examples include gendered terms in 16 percent of searches for “bottoms” (i.e., men’s shirts, women’s shorts) and references to an event in 45 percent of “dress” searches (i.e., wedding dress, graduation dress).
2. About 60 percent of eCommerce queries come from upper-funnel users looking for information to narrow down their search from a broad category to a specific product (Google, 2018).
This is a helpful piece of PPC info that can be used to improve your PPC strategy. By understanding who your audience is and the intent behind their search, you can improve the design of your eCommerce PPC ads to capture their attention and increase the likelihood of a conversion.
Amazon PPC Statistics
Amazon is one of the biggest eCommerce platforms on the internet today. With it being such a competitive platform, using PPC stats 2021 to refine your ad strategy can improve product visibility and increase your revenue. Use the pay per click stats we’ve compiled below to optimize your Amazon ad strategy.
1. Amazon Ads for sponsored products generate the most sales per click than any other search format (Media Post, 2018).
It’s only natural for people to click on the first result they see when performing a product search. With Amazon Ads, your products take their position above organic results, improving your product’s visibility.
2. When users search for a product, 66 percent of shoppers start looking on Amazon. That percentage goes up to 74 for users who already have a specific product in mind (Feedvisor, 2019).
A majority of shoppers use Amazon as a guide when looking to buy certain products, and the pay per click stats for Amazon shoppers increase even more when they are ready to make a purchase. These PPC statistics clearly show that Amazon is the go-to platform for online shoppers.
3. The average CTR on Amazon Ads is 0.41 percent (JungleTopp, 2020).
Even when you look at paid search statistics on different platforms, you can see that this number is too low. Having a low average CTR speaks to the quality of the ads, which also means users don’t find the ad compelling. But on a positive note: improving the quality of your ads by understanding what your competitors are putting out can help you achieve much higher numbers on the platform.
4. The average conversion rate for Amazon PPC is 9.55 percent (JungleTopp, 2020).
The average conversion rate for ads on other platforms other than Amazon PPC sits at 1.33 percent, which means Amazon Ads receive 618 percent higher conversions. Despite the low average CTRs on Amazon Ads, shoppers who enter the platform intend to make a purchase, which leads to higher conversion rates.
Social PPC Statistics 2021
There are over 5 billion users on social media every day. With tremendous numbers like that, your business stands to enjoy maximum visibility when you advertise your business on social media. In running a social media ad campaign, you can either work with a reliable PPC company or use the search advertising statistics below to learn how to create better ads that resonate with your potential customers.
1. The average CTR for social media ads was 1.3 percent in 2020, up from 1.2 percent in 2019 (Statista, 2021).
These paid search statistics may look low at first glance. But when you consider the billions of users that populate social media and the potential reach of your social media ads, the amount of benefit you can gain from a well-executed social media ad strategy is invaluable.
2. In business to business (B2B) advertising, 83 percent of marketers ranked social media advertising second (29 percent) behind search engine marketing (33 percent) as the most successful strategy in driving leads (Content Marketing Institute, 2021).
Social media remains one of the most used channels for pushing sponsored content to users, with LinkedIn leading the way as the go-to channel for B2B advertising.
3. Thirty-seven percent of users find social media as the most influential factor when finding or shopping for products (PwC, 2021).
Product recommendations on social media act as social proof, influencing buying decisions on these platforms. Use this to your advantage through engaging social media ads that attract the attention of prospective buyers and past customers that will serve as product ambassadors, giving their vote of confidence.
4. In determining a PPC strategy for social media, 32 percent of marketers found video to be the most effective format for ads, followed by image ads (26 percent), Instagram Stories (23 percent) and carousel ads (19 percent) (Search Engine Journal, 2019).
The effectiveness of your ads can depend on the type of ad you produce. As specific ad formats resonate with certain audiences, identifying the right type of ad to produce helps you create powerful ads that bring you closer to accomplishing your goals.
PPC Pays Off
PPC is still one of the best ways to generate revenue for your business. When done right, you can attract your target audience while keeping costs low and staying well within your budget. Harness the transformative power of PPC using the paid search statistics we provided above to inform your ad strategy.
If you need help launching your PPC campaigns, let our PPC agency give you a hand. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a data-driven PPC company that helps you strategize and implement PPC campaigns that bring results. For over 15 years, we’ve helped countless clients maximize their growth potential by managing their PPC campaigns. Contact our PPC company today and schedule a free consultation with us.
