Compare cold display reach and assisted performance without treating it like high-intent paid search. CPM, CTR, viewable reach, assisted conversions, and landing-page engagement.
Google Display prospecting benchmarks for CPM, CTR, assisted conversion rate, and audience quality across cold display campaigns.
| Context | Median | Top Quartile | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity audiences | 0.28% CTR | 0.58% CTR | Broad awareness and reach |
| In-market audiences | 0.42% CTR | 0.81% CTR | Higher-intent cold prospecting |
| Custom segments | 0.39% CTR | 0.76% CTR | Targeting search and site-intent proxies |
The factors that most often explain why a result lands above or below the range.
| Driver |
|---|
| Audience quality, placement mix, and viewability |
| Creative clarity at small sizes |
| Frequency and exclusion management |
| Whether assisted conversions are measured instead of only direct conversions |
The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method. The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method reads every marketing metric against four percentile bands — P25 (bottom quartile), median, P75 (top quartile), and elite (top ~10%) — for a specific industry and channel, instead of a single cross-industry average. Averages blend brand and non-brand campaigns, $500/month and $500,000/month accounts, and unrelated industries into a number almost nobody actually has.
Where the numbers come from. The figures on this page come from the Benchmarketing benchmark dataset — thousands of curated benchmark observations across channels, industries, and US metro areas. Every statistic traces to a named source: WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks (2024), Meta Business Insights (2024), HubSpot Email Marketing Report (2024), Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report (2024), Databox Marketing Benchmark Report (2024), AdLiftr Snapchat Ads Cost Benchmarks (2026), Ad Badger Amazon Advertising Benchmarks (2026). Benchmarketing does not publish anonymous "studies show" figures.
The Benchmarketing position. Beating the cross-industry average is a vanity milestone, not a target. Compare your number to the P25–P75 band for your specific industry and channel; if you are above average but below your industry's P75, you are leaving performance on the table.
Use the median range as the baseline, then compare against the top-quartile range once the campaign, audience, offer, and conversion event are similar enough to be meaningful.
Start with the benchmark focus, segment by intent and audience quality, then use the drivers and recommendations on this page to diagnose why performance is above or below the range.