Google Ads · Cost per clickUpdated October 2026Data Jan 2025 – Sep 2026
Google Ads CPC Benchmark 2026
From January to September 2026, the median Google Ads account paid $2.32 per click, down from $2.62 in 2025.
2025 and 2026 combined
- Average
- $2.50
- Most common
- $2–$3
- Median
- $2.47
What Google advertisers pay per click
Across both years, the middle half of ad accounts paid between $1.36 and $3.60; no single range dominates. The average is $2.50. Fewer of these businesses advertise on Google than on Meta, so read the Google figures as directional.
The average Google click cost 8% more in 2026
Month by month, the average cost per click from January to September 2026 was 8% higher than the same months of 2025. The median account still paid less than in 2025; the higher average comes from accounts at the expensive end.
Cost per click by month
- 2025
- 2026 (to Sep)
Average across ad accounts active each month. Months with too few ad accounts are left blank. Source: HelloConversions, Google Ads API.
| Month | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $1.97 | $2.84 | +44% |
| Feb | $2.42 | $3.94 | +63% |
| Mar | $2.25 | $3.20 | +42% |
| Apr | $2.52 | $3.15 | +25% |
| May | $2.95 | $2.54 | −14% |
| Jun | $3.08 | $2.45 | −21% |
| Jul | $2.98 | $2.43 | −19% |
| Aug | $3.22 | $3.09 | −4% |
| Sep | $3.30 | $3.06 | −7% |
| Oct | $3.29 | not yet | |
| Nov | $3.30 | not yet | |
| Dec | $2.76 | not yet |
— means too few ad accounts that month to report.
16% lower
Median business, CRM-verified cost per lead vs the Meta-reported figure for the same spend
HelloConversions customers see a cost per lead 16% lower than Ads Manager reports
Same ad spend, more of the real leads counted. Meta's pixel misses leads that iOS privacy settings, blocked cookies and in-app browsers hide from it; the CRM still records them. The free report shows the comparison business by business.
What counts, and how it's measured
- Cost per click
- Ad spend divided by clicks for the same Google Ads account, as Google Ads reports them.
- Who's included
- Google ad accounts connected to HelloConversions, Jan 2025 – Sep 2026, pulled from the ad platform's own API rather than a survey. Each ad account counts once per year, unweighted, so a large account counts the same as a small one. We don't publish names or how many accounts there are, so every chart shows shares.
- Minimums
- An ad account counts toward a year with at least $1,000 in spend and 10,000 impressions and 100 clicks, and toward a month with $250 and 50 clicks. A month with fewer than 5 qualifying ad accounts is left blank rather than shown from a handful.
- The monthly line
- Each month shows the average across ad accounts active that month, the same measure as the chart on the main benchmarks page.
- A smaller sample
- Fewer of these businesses advertise on Google than on Meta, so read the Google figures as directional.
- Updated monthly
- Complete months only, refreshed early each month; this page uses data through September 2026. Year-over-year changes on the monthly charts compare the same months of 2026 and 2025.
Questions
What is a good CPC for Google Ads in 2026?
The median Google Ads account paid $2.32 per click in 2026 so far, and the middle half paid between $1.32 and $3.67. Below the median puts you ahead of half of advertisers, but it only matters alongside what those clicks turn into: compare it with your cost per lead.
Is Google Ads CPC going up or down?
Up. The median ad account paid $2.32 per click in 2026 so far, down from $2.62 in 2025. Month by month, the average cost per click from January to September 2026 was 8% higher than the same months of 2025. The median account still paid less than in 2025; the higher average comes from accounts at the expensive end.
What moves Google Ads cost per click?
Cost per click is CPM divided by how many of every thousand impressions get a click, so the two move together unless click-through rate changes. Against the same months of 2025, the average CPM was 10% higher, click-through rate was 7% lower, and the average cost per click was 8% higher.
Where does this data come from?
From Google ad accounts connected to HelloConversions, pulled straight from the ad platform's API, and from the GoHighLevel CRMs they feed. It's measured data, not a survey. We don't publish names or how many accounts there are, so every chart shows the share of ad accounts rather than counts.
How often are these benchmarks updated?
Every month, as soon as the month is complete. The numbers here run through September 2026.
Put your cost per click next to the benchmark
The full report puts every metric next to real GoHighLevel businesses, cost per lead and CAC included, each with the spread and the year-over-year change. Free, and it opens as soon as you submit.