Can you believe that Google has been with us for over 20 years?
It started way back in 1998. So far, the new millennium has been good for the technology giant in many ways. It’s growing and changing, following the latest industry trends and often setting them.
The American multinational tech company has thought of various monetization methods. One of them is Google Ads—the go-to platform for online advertising.
We can’t wait to tell you the whole story in today's Google Ads statistics:
How successful is advertising on Google?
Is it effective for businesses?
Do people click on ads?
Those and many other questions will be answered in a bit. The veil on all Google Ads secrets finally lifts.
Hope you’re ready for this because the wait is over.
Let’s jump right in.
Engrossing Google Ads Stats and Facts (Editor’s Choice):
- People make over 160 billion monthly searches on Google.
- Buyers are 50% more likely to place an order after clicking on a paid ad.
- 90% of consumers admit that ads affect their purchase decision.
- Google Ads' return on investment is 8 to 1.
- Seven million advertisers use pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
- The PPC budget of 40% of the agencies and brands is lower than they want.
- 70% of mobile users call a company straight from Google Search.
- Paid search ads account for 65% of all high commercial intent clicks.
- Google Ads' average conversion rate across all industries is 4.40% on the search network.
Impressive Google Ads Statistics for 2022
Google Ads is based on bidding for ad placement in Google Search, YouTube, other websites, videos, or mobile apps.
Knowing how to make the most of it is an art in itself.
Before you give it a go, consider these facts:
1. Creating a Google Ads account is free.
(Source: Google)
However, how to do Google Ads is another story. Before starting, you may have to get familiar with the topic—read some articles, browse through the platform, explore metrics, run a few test ad campaigns, etc.
If your budget allows it, you can hire a digital agency. Bear in mind that these ads involve some testing to get better results.
2. Google Ads used to be called Google AdWords.
(Source: Google)
The rebranding to Google Ads took place on July 24, 2018.
The new name came with a new logo and a URL change—ads.google.com. The ad campaign performance and navigation weren’t affected.
Two more facts about Google AdWords you must know:
- It launched in 2000.
- It was the first online self-serve advertising platform.
At that time, no one knew it would become such a success.
3. 74% of people want to see only relevant ads.
(Source: Google)
Since Google Ads has many setup options, targeting the right audience is possible. You just have to know what you want it to do—visit a website or store, install an app, place an order, or call your business.
But how many people click on Google ads?
4. 63% of people click on Google search ads.
(Source: Clutch)
In comparison, only 14% click on Amazon search ads. That’s precisely 4.5 times less.
9% of the ad clicks go to YouTube search, while only 6% belong to Bing.
So Google is once again the undeniable winner.
5. Google search text ads get the most clicks.
(Source: Clutch)
77% admit they can easily recognize a paid search ad.
49% of people click mostly on text ads.
55% of those clicking on Google search engine ads prefer text ads.
6. In April 2022 alone, Google.com was visited 86.3 billion times.
(Source: Similarweb)
According to Similarweb’s global rank, Google.com wins first place among other giants such as YouTube and Facebook—second and third, respectively.
Instagram and Twitter complete the top five list.
7. 90% of consumers are influenced by ads when making a purchase decision.
(Source: Clutch)
The average American is exposed to as many as 10,000 ads per day. A surprisingly high number to add to today’s Google Ads stats.
It’s expected that advertisements will only grow in the future due to the increase in online marketing channels and technologies.
That being said:
8. Only 41% of people trust online ads.
(Source: Clutch)
In contrast, 61% of consumers put their trust in traditional TV advertisements—they are considered to be the ones with the most honest messages.
The least trustworthy are social media ads, with only 38%.
But we're not through yet.
There are plenty more stats to explore:
Search and Display Network Stats
Google’s display network includes over two million online entities where you can place an ad. Those can be mobile apps, videos, or websites.
Google search ads are pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll go through them too.
Now, let’s dig a bit deeper:
9. Google display network reaches more than 90% of the global internet users.
(Source: Google)
Through the display network, Google's online ads can target a specific audience, country, city, gender, age, and numerous other metrics.
You can also set different goals such as building brand awareness or driving traffic, sales, or leads.
10. Display ads don’t run on Google Search.
(Source: Google)
Search ads are different from display ads. The latter run on Google Display Network only. Although they are set from the same Google Ads account, they belong to separate digital ad campaigns.
Display ads won’t show your business in the search, but you can still target the audience you need by demographics and interests.
However, some people don’t want to see display ads:
11. 27% of US internet users block ads.
(Source: eMarketer)
Ad blockers are mostly used on laptops and desktop computers.
People want to block ads because they disrupt their online experience—they’re too many, too annoying, or irrelevant.
12. On average, the conversion rate of Google Ads on the search network is 4.40%.
(Source: WordStream)
However, the average conversion rate for Google Ads on the display network is only 0.57%. Why so low?
Here’s the deal:
When people search for something on Google, they look for a solution to a specific problem or need, so they click on results.
However, when someone is browsing a website or using an app with display ads on, they are not interested in clicking on those ads. Hence, the lower conversion rate.
Let’s expand on that a bit further:
13. Display advertising is more suitable for raising brand awareness.
(Source: WordStream)
Brands spending on ads still use display advertising for popularization, even though it doesn’t convert so well.
Your clients shouldn’t forget about you wherever they go on the Web—that’s the main principle.
14. The average CPR (cost per conversion) on the display network is $90.80.
(Source: WordStream)
The CPR on the search network is $56.11 on average.
The difference between the two networks comes from prospects’ motivation—advertisers pay less for someone more interested in finding a solution.
Google Ads ROI: Will You Return the Investment?
The good thing about Google Ads is that you pay for achieved results such as calls to your company or clicks on your site. You can also set a budget cap so that you don’t overspend.
Now, let’s go through some impressive numbers:
15. There are over 100,000 Google searches in one second.
(Source: Internet Live Stats)
Imagine that right now, more than 100k people are googling something. And yes, there is a verb for that. That’s how big Google has become.
16. Google Ads’ ROI (return on investment) ratio is 8:1.
(Source: Google)
According to Google’s methodology, the business gets eight dollars in profit for every dollar spent on ads. In other words, that’s the estimated value an advertiser can get from Google Ads.
17. Ready-to-buy consumers click on Google search ads nearly two times more frequently than on organic results.
(Source: WordStream)
A high commercial query means that people intend to buy products or services. That’s why they’re more inclined to click on ads.
Such sponsored Google search results get 65% of the clicks. Organic results are left with 35%.
18. In 2022, Google is expected to have the highest digital ad revenue in the US.
(Source: Statista)
Our Google Ads statistics add another record number—27.7% of all US digital advertising revenue in 2022 is predicted to go to Google.
Facebook and Instagram are right behind with a total of 24.2%, while Amazon is left only with 13.3%.
19. 38% of baby boomers click on paid search ads mentioning familiar brands.
(Source: Clutch)
The next in line, Generation X, holds 27% of paid familiar brand clicks on the search results.
Meanwhile, only 24% of Millennials would click on such PPC ads.
20. The average cost per click (CPC) of Google search ads is $2.39.
(Source: WordStream)
The CPC metric shows how much each click on your ad costs you.
Display ads’ CPC is $0.41 on average—almost six times lower than search ads.
Instagram has an average CPC of $1.23, while Facebook’s is $0.97.
21. Google advertising contributed $61.2 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
For the same period, Alphabet's (Google's parent company) revenue was $75 billion. So it seems most of its earnings come from ads.
Google advertising includes Search, Network, YouTube, and other ads.
Now, time to make some conclusions:
Wrap Up
Today’s Google Ads statistics taught us that the tech giant is still good at being first.
That gives you the advantage of developing the best algorithms because you have years of gathered and analyzed results behind you.
Google is also changing the lives of business owners and the way they reach customers.
A few keyboard clicks and your brand appears on a Google search to someone half a world away. How amazing is that?
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
