What's a Good Click-Through Rate for Google Ads by Industry in 2026?

A good click-through rate for a Google Ads Search campaign in 2026 is 6.64% or higher — the current all-industry average across more than 13,000 U.S. Search campaigns tracked in LocaliQ's annual Google Ads Benchmarks report. Anything close to or above that number puts a campaign in line with typical performance; well below it usually signals a targeting, ad copy, or keyword-match problem.

The 2026 all-industry averages

Across the full LocaliQ/WordStream dataset (April 2025-March 2026, 23 industries, minimum 52 active campaigns per category), the blended Search Network averages are:

• Click-through rate: 6.64%
• Conversion rate: 8.18%
• Cost per click: $5.42
• Cost per lead: $66.69

CTR by industry: who's above and below average

• Arts and Entertainment: 12.75%, the highest CTR of any industry tracked
• Finance and Insurance: above 9%
• Travel: above 9%
• Industrial and Commercial: 6.57%
• Attorneys and Legal Services: 5.87%
• Automotive Repair, Service, and Parts: 5.56%
• Dentists and Dental Services: 5.44%

A high CTR doesn't automatically mean a high conversion rate, either — the industries with the best click-through rates aren't the same ones with the best conversion rates. Animals and Pets (16.22%), Automotive Repair (15.51%), and Education and Instruction (13.14%) post the highest conversion rates in the same report, while Finance and Insurance (2.64%), Furniture (2.99%), and Career and Employment (3.05%) post the lowest — despite Finance and Insurance having one of the stronger CTRs.

Why CTR moved year over year

Overall CTR rose roughly 3.74% year over year in the 2026 report, though just over half of individual industries actually saw declines. The average is being pulled up by a handful of categories with outsized gains, including Education and Instruction (+31.71%), Beauty and Personal Care (+18.21%), and Finance and Insurance (+18.01%) — meaning the headline "CTR is up" doesn't apply evenly across accounts.

What counts as "good" for your account

Benchmark comparisons only tell you where an average account in your category lands — not what your specific account should hit. Use the 6.64% all-industry figure as a sanity check for a new or unfamiliar account, and the industry-specific figures above as the more meaningful comparison once you know which of the 23 tracked categories your business falls into. A campaign sitting well under its industry's benchmark, even if it beats the 6.64% overall average, usually still has room to improve through tighter keyword match types or more relevant ad copy — while one beating its industry benchmark is a stronger signal that the account is genuinely healthy.

It's also worth remembering that CTR is a diagnostic metric, not a business outcome. A campaign can post an excellent CTR and still lose money if the traffic it attracts doesn't convert, which is why the report pairs every CTR figure with a conversion rate and cost-per-lead figure rather than publishing click-through rate on its own.

Bottom Line

Aim for 6.64% or better as a baseline Google Ads Search CTR in 2026, but judge your account against its specific industry benchmark rather than the blended average — a legal or dental account performing at 5.5-5.9% CTR is on pace for its category, while an arts and entertainment account at the same rate is underperforming its category by more than half.