SA 2025 CTR & CPC Benchmarks

Google Ads Benchmarks for YOUR SA Industry 2025

Stop comparing your results to overseas data that doesn’t match your reality. SA Industry 2025.

As marketers, you need benchmarks that actually make sense for a South African business. Adbot has analysed over 1 200+ local Google search ad campaigns from the last year to give you the real numbers you should be comparing against.

Why This Matters

You can’t afford to waste time chasing the wrong targets. International benchmarks are misleading because:

  • Their markets are more competitive and expensive
  • You’re not competing against New York businesses – you’re competing locally
  • Using wrong benchmarks means you’ll set unrealistic goals

The Real SA Numbers You Should Know in 2025

Data from 1,200+ South African businesses shows what’s actually happening in your market:

Click-Through Rates That Actually Matter in SA for 2025

Overall SA Average: 9.1%

Top-performing SA industries:

  • Financial Services: 11.3%
  • Health Services: 10.4%
  • Other Services: 9.9%
  • Manufacturing: 9.7%
  • Professional Services: 9.3%

If your CTR is below your industry average, your ads need work.

Real Cost Per Click in SA for 2025

Overall SA Average: R4-6 per click

What industries are actually paying:

  • Financial Services: R4.00
  • Health Services: R3.90
  • Other Services: R6.00
  • Manufacturing: R6.70
  • Professional Services: R6.30

These are your real budget targets – not inflated international numbers that don’t apply to your market.

Your Actions

If You’re in High-Performing Industries (Financial, Health, Professional)

This is good news for you:

  • People are actively searching for your services online
  • There’s real growth opportunity here
  • You should be investing more in Google Ads
  • Focus your limited time on scaling what’s working

If You’re in Lower-Performing Industries

Don’t give up – adapt your approach:

  • Dominate your local area instead of trying to compete nationally
  • Focus on conversion optimisation – make every visitor count
  • Use your lower CPC advantage to get more volume than competitors
  • Optimise your website – make sure your keywords you are using in your ads actually appear on your website
  • Be patient – these industries often have longer sales cycles

Stop wasting time on international comparisons that don’t help you. When you’re managing everything yourself, you need benchmarks that reflect your actual competition and market conditions.

Remember: If an agency is giving you international benchmarks instead of local data, they’re not giving you the insights you need to succeed in the South African market.

These benchmarks come from real South African businesses running Google Ads through Adbot. Use them to set realistic expectations and focus your efforts where they’ll actually make a difference in your market. The report was produced in partnership with @iXperience and the following students @Kagame Rama – Munroe, @juliette-ortiiz, Seyram Apreku, Yasir Felton, Shunmei Zheng

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