Search click through and conversion rates outperform display ads across all verticals

An overview of click through and conversion rates by ad format and product vertical.

Data from Wordstream show that paid search routinely outperforms online display advertising in terms of both conversion and click through (CTR) rates.

Across all verticals, the average CTR for search ads was recorded at 3.3% between August 2017 and January 2018. This compares to a CTR of just 0.57% for display ads during this period.

Search ads within the dating & personals category performed well above the average, with a CTR of 6.05%. This acts as a good illustration for search’s role within advertising; generally, there is already some form of purchase intent from the consumer, which places search...

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