Pay-per-click advertising is still ruling the market in 2020. It continues to be one of the most effective advertising tools for marketers of all types. In fact, it’s so powerful in the world of marketing that PPC statistics are proving to be more than just a series of numbers – they serve as pillars for why PPC ads are truly worth the cost.
If you’re just getting started in the world of PPC advertising then these statistics will serve as a great way to solidify your decision for doing so.
If you’re already started on your PPC advertising journey, then knowing about PPC statistics can help you to stay competitive in the online advertising market. It is always best to keep yourself informed on the major PPC statistics for the year.
24 PPC Statistics You Should Know in 2020
Below you will find 24 PPC stats that include:
- Why you should choose PPC ads
- PPC search ad statistics
- PPC and local search ads
- SEO vs PPC statistics
- Pay per click statistics for industry benchmarks
- Display ad statistics
- Statistics on clicks and conversions
This list of statistics will help you to get a good feel for how PPC ads are performing in the current climate and can even help to inform your PPC marketing strategy.
Why You Should Choose PPC Ads
One of the very first questions that new marketers ask is about why they should be choosing one particular type of paid ad over another. We believe these PPC statistics answer that question quite thoroughly.
- Statista reported that consumers complete more than 160 billion searches each month on Google.
- According to Google, search ads can increase brand awareness by up to 80 percent, which allows for great opportunities for your target audience to remember your brand and engage with it.
- Sparktoro reports that PPC ads have an 11.38% click-through rate on Google.
- In a survey by Search Engine Land, 16% of respondents said they click on video ads, 49% of respondents said they click on text ads and 31% said they click on shopping ads.
As you can see, PPC ads are incredibly effective for helping to reach your target audience.
PPC statistics for search ads
Ads that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) are known as PPC search ads. Here are some informative statistics to note:
- $46 million was spent on search ad spending accounts in the US in 2020 according to Statista.
- Ads on search engine results pages earn more than 45% of page clicks (WebFX).
- Statista reports that 90 percent of advertisers claim text ads are the most important PPC channel.
- PPC search ads prove to help to increase website traffic and make online sales. Formstack detailed that PPC search ads are one of the top three contributors to website conversions.
These PPC search ad stats prove that search ads are still an incredibly powerful tool for paid advertising. Learn more about the different types of paid advertising.
PPC and local search ads
Making search ads local has proven to be incredibly effective over the years.
- According to Google, almost 30 percent of searchers are looking for something that is specific to their location.
- 10 percent more is spent in a store by a consumer if they have already seen and clicked on a Google ad from that store before going to visit in person. In fact, 40 percent of in-store purchases start online.
- In comparison to other search engine results page clicks, local services ads receive 13.8 percent of local SERP clicks according to BrightLocal.
- BrightLocal also reports that the first organic position on a SERP receives the highest number of standard clicks.
If you’ve never done it before, you can learn how to successfully launch a PPC campaign for the first time here.
SEO vs PPC statistics
SEO and PPC strategies have both proven to be effective marketing strategies for building traffic and improving conversions. These stats look at some of the benefits PPC advertising has over SEO methods.
- Unbounce reports that PPC visitors have a 50 percent higher chance of making a purchase than organic visitors.
- Unbounce also claims that SEO statistics are more difficult to measure than PPC statistics which makes it easier for PPC marketers to track their ROI.
- According to New Media Campaigns, PPC ads are great for time-sensitive advertising and they can put you on the first page for a given search term within a day.
These are incredibly useful stats to consider, especially for those working with a limited budget. If you need to choose between PPC and SEO, these stats can help to inform your decision and come up with a great digital marketing strategy.
Pay per click statistics for industry benchmarks
Your industry is unique which is why it will have different benchmarks from other industries. This is an important thing to consider before getting started with PPC advertising.
Here are some interesting PPC statistics to give insight into different industry benchmarks.
- WordStream claims that click-through rates are highest in the dating and personals industry and that they are lowest in the legal industry.
- WordStream also reports that the average cost-per-action across all industries in Google AdWords is $48.96.
Be sure to do your research on PPC advertising within your industry in order to make sure that is the best choice for your unique business!
Display ad statistics
Display ads may not always be the most well-received type of ad by potential customers, but they are great for building brand awareness. Picking the right PPC keywords can make all the difference in driving traffic and finding quality leads.

Here are some insights that can help you to understand how display ads can impact your business.
- It was projected that 85% of digital display ad spend would go towards programmatic advertising in 2020, according to EMarketer.
- EMarketer also claimed that 50% of programmatic display ad spending went towards banners, video ads, and other types of display ads across social networks throughout 2019.
- The Search Engine Journal reports that 16% of advertisers’ budgets are put towards display advertising alone.
Statistics on clicks and conversions
It will always be the case that certain types of paid online advertising will get more clicks and conversions than others. This means that understanding trends within the industry is key for marketers to develop an effective strategy.
- CMO reports that potential customers are 27 times more likely to click on a video ad in comparison to a standard banner ad.
- CMO also claimed that social and mobile gaming video ads have a 91% viewing rate.
- 69% of Google users will call a business straight from their Google search results.
- 36% of Google users will search for something related to their location.
Using PPC stats to Inform Your PPC Marketing Strategy

Now that you know more about the results that PPC advertising can deliver it’s time to incorporate them into your PPC marketing strategy!
So, where’s the best place to start?
We highly recommend brushing up on our blog post on How to use PPC Advertising to Build Your Business and then giving Blue Water Marketing in Stuart, FL. We can give you the PPC management advice you need and help you to come up with a PPC marketing strategy that’s built to perform. Call us now!