Market benchmarks
Filter benchmarks by market. South Africa carries the observed cohort in rand; ten markets in total are held in the cloud with their own currency, evidence tier and source — where no defensible figure exists, this page says so instead of inventing an average.
Reading rule
Media-performance benchmarks, excluding VAT and commission. Medians and averages are never blended.
Benchmarks by market
Cross-market planning reference held in the cloud, in each market's own currency. South Africa carries the observed cohort; every other market is a vendor-aggregate planning range — treat it as a sanity check, not a promise.
Our market rate research is private. Sign in as an operator to see the benchmark table.
Evidence tiers
Use this wording in client decks so a planning range never becomes an accidental fact.
SA-specific cohort or official network fact with a disclosed period and method.
Dated South African agency/market guidance — a planning range, not a national average.
Non-SA benchmark or converted estimate. Shown only for context, always labelled.
No traceable current SA figure located. A blank cell beats an invented one.
Benchmark my account
Pick the observed search industry cohort, drop in your own rolling numbers and see the variance. Account truth outranks market truth — this is a diagnostic, not a target.
| Metric | Your account | Industrial & Commercial cohort | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPC | — | R96.36 | — |
| CTR | — | 6.57% | — |
| CVR | — | 8.20% | — |
| CPL | — | R1,234.62 | — |
Search by industry — observed SA cohort
1,224 South African search campaigns, July 2025 – June 2026 (85-90% Google Ads, 5-10% Microsoft Ads). Metrics are reported independently in aggregate, so CPC ÷ CVR will not reproduce CPL exactly. Compare within a metric, never derive new averages. [A] S01
| Industry | CTR | CPC | CVR | CPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All industries (aggregate) | 6.64% | R88.97 | 8.18% | R1,294.70 |
| Animals & Pets | 7.49% | R65.66 | 16.22% | R517.23 |
| Apparel / Fashion & Jewellery | 6.64% | R68.32 | 4.50% | R1,601.11 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 12.79% | R30.36 | 5.91% | R440.71 |
| Attorneys & Legal Services | 5.87% | R162.01 | 5.55% | R2,161.36 |
| Automotive — For Sale | 8.28% | R121.56 | 6.01% | R726.75 |
| Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts | 5.56% | R37.26 | 15.51% | R491.94 |
| Beauty & Personal Care | 6.79% | R75.84 | 10.35% | R644.49 |
| Business Services | 6.10% | R54.63 | 4.85% | R1,538.39 |
| Career & Employment | 5.89% | R66.25 | 3.05% | R1,105.85 |
| Dentists & Dental Services | 5.66% | R131.32 | 10.67% | R1,198.17 |
| Education & Instruction | 7.56% | R48.95 | 13.14% | R1,272.22 |
| Finance | 6.83% | R95.65 | 2.99% | R1,622.31 |
| Furniture | 6.57% | R63.45 | 2.99% | R1,752.01 |
| Health & Fitness | 5.81% | R56.45 | 6.94% | R1,105.85 |
| Home & Home Improvement | 6.47% | R136.73 | 8.05% | R1,492.91 |
| Industrial & Commercial | 6.57% | R96.36 | 8.20% | R1,234.62 |
| Insurance | 3.25% | R195.52 | 2.11% | R2,454.36 |
| Personal Services | 7.16% | R117.69 | 12.34% | R896.53 |
| Physicians & Surgeons | 6.61% | R64.25 | 12.43% | R657.46 |
| Real Estate | 7.61% | R101.56 | 3.70% | R1,682.68 |
| Restaurants & Food | 6.83% | R45.36 | 8.05% | R502.16 |
| Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts | 8.28% | R67.96 | 4.01% | R811.15 |
| Sports & Recreation | 8.75% | R45.47 | 7.69% | R726.75 |
| Travel | 9.32% | R35.13 | 5.83% | R733.97 |
Highest cost categories: Insurance (CPC R195.52, CPL R2,454.36) and Attorneys & Legal Services (CPC R162.01, CPL R2,161.36).
Paid social, video & platform matrix
No single “all social” average exists here on purpose — objectives and audience economics differ too much to blend.
| Platform | CPC / CPV | CPM | Outcome | Status | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook + Instagram) | Median R2.86 · index avg R5.12 | Median R55.00 · index avg R64.00 | Median CTR 2.57% · purchase CPA ~R734.00 | [A] Observed SA benchmarkS07-S09 | Strongest social evidence. Never blend the median and the index — they are different statistics. |
| TikTok | R1.50 – R8.00 | R20.00 – R70.00 | CPV R0.10 – R0.60 · CPL R30 – R150 · purchase R80 – R500+ | [B] SA planning rangeS13-S14 | Agency planning ranges only; no audited SA cohort. Benchmark each format from the account. |
| R100 – R250 (senior/C-suite R300 – R500+) | R550.00 – R1,100.00 | CPL R1,400 – R4,500 · Message Ads R5 – R9 per send | [B] SA planning rangeS15-S16 | Global format CTR hierarchy is directional creative context only, never an SA average. | |
| YouTube | ~R0.39 per view (global proxy) | Bumper ~R79 – R106 · Shorts ~R79 · non-skippable ~R241 | No robust SA view-rate benchmark | [C] Global proxy / SA estimateS17 | Google publishes no SA-specific CPV. Say “global proxy”, not “South African CPV”. |
| X | Not published reliably | Not published reliably | Auction-based, no minimum spend (official) | [N] No public SA benchmarkS18 | Use Ads Manager forecast and account history. |
| — | — | — | [N] No public SA benchmark— | No traceable current SA cohort. Use platform estimate plus first-party result. | |
| — | — | — | [N] No public SA benchmark— | No traceable current SA cohort. | |
| Snapchat | — | — | — | [N] No public SA benchmark— | No traceable current SA cohort. |
Ad-format benchmark table
Format facts and format estimates kept apart. Where a platform has no SA format benchmark, use the channel baseline plus first-party data.
| Channel | Format | Cost benchmark / signal | Performance metric | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Responsive Search Ads | Use aggregate / industry CPC | CTR, CVR, CPL by industry | [A] Observed SA benchmarkS01 |
| Search | Microsoft RSA / Dynamic / Multimedia | No separate SA average | Use Microsoft reporting | [N] No public SA benchmark— |
| Search | Shopping / Performance Max | No SA format-only benchmark | Segment before comparing to Search CTR | [N] No public SA benchmark— |
| Meta | Facebook Feed | CPM R60.00 – R120.00 | No placement-specific SA CTR | [B] SA planning rangeS11 |
| Meta | Instagram Feed | CPM R55.00 – R110.00 · blended CPC R2 – R12 | No placement-specific SA CVR | [B] SA planning rangeS12 |
| Meta | Stories (FB + IG) | CPM R35.00 – R70.00 | No robust SA format CVR | [B] SA planning rangeS11-S12 |
| Meta | Reels (FB + IG) | CPM R30.00 – R65.00 (published up to R90) | No national SA VTR/CVR | [B] SA planning rangeS11 |
| Meta | Advantage+ / broad placements | CPM R40.00 – R90.00 | Algorithm blends placements | [B] SA planning rangeS11 |
| Meta | Instant Forms / Lead Ads | No national placement average | Judge CPL with qualified-lead and close rate | [N] No public SA benchmark— |
| TikTok | In-feed / Spark / TopView | CPM R20.00 – R70.00 · CPC R1.50 – R8.00 | No audited SA format CTR | [B] SA planning rangeS14 |
| Sponsored Content | CPC R100 – R250 | Global single-image median CTR 0.42% (context) | [B] SA planning rangeS15-S16 | |
| Message Ads | R5.00 – R9.00 per send | Open/click rates from account | [B] SA planning rangeS15 | |
| YouTube | Skippable in-stream / in-feed | ~R0.39 per view (global proxy) | No public SA VTR average | [C] Global proxy / SA estimateS17 |
| YouTube | Bumper / Shorts | CPM ~R79.00 – R106.00 | No public SA completion benchmark | [C] Global proxy / SA estimateS17 |
| YouTube | Masthead | No public self-serve benchmark | Reserved placement via Google sales | [N] No public SA benchmark— |
| Programmatic | Open-web display | CPM R30.00 – R70.00 | No robust SA CTR benchmark | [B] SA planning rangeS19 |
| Programmatic | Video (in-read / outstream) | CPM R80.00 – R200.00 | No robust SA VTR benchmark | [B] SA planning rangeS19 |
| Programmatic | DOOH | CPM R80.00 – R250.00 (Aug 2026 guide) | Clicks are not the primary metric | [B] SA planning rangeS20 |
| Programmatic | Native / CTV / Audio | No robust current SA number | Use DSP / publisher delivery metrics | [N] No public SA benchmark— |
Search market structure
Usage share explains platform priority. It is not ad-spend share and not campaign performance. [A] S05
| Engine | Usage share (Jul 2026) | Advertising interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 92.12% | Primary search inventory in SA. | |
| Bing | 6.95% | Microsoft Advertising is the main alternative paid-search network. |
| Yahoo | 0.34% | Not a standalone benchmark row — Microsoft search partner inventory. |
| Petal Search | 0.25% | No robust public SA paid-search benchmark. |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.20% | Microsoft search-partner inventory. |
| Yandex | 0.11% | No robust public SA paid-search benchmark. |
Why credible sources disagree
Both R4 and R195 can be a “South African CPC”: different keywords, match types, account sizes, objectives and periods. Preserve source context instead of computing a grand average.
| Dataset | Published numbers | What it represents | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juicy Designs 2026 [S01] | CPC R88.97 · CTR 6.64% · CVR 8.18% · CPL R1,294.70 | 1,224 SA search campaigns, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026. Method and platform mix disclosed. | Primary |
| Adbot 2025 [S02] | Industry CPC R0.50 – R9.90 · CTR 3.3% – 11.3% | SA Google Ads accounts, 2025 averages. Sample size not published. | Secondary |
| BaseCloud [S03] | CPC R1.91 – R21.34 · CTR 2.01% – 18.04% · CVR 0.74% – 23.90% | Agency results described as SA industry data. No sample size. | Secondary |
| Keyword Planner / Ahrefs [S04] | Life insurance top-of-page bid R44.95 – R140.31 | Bid intelligence, not achieved campaign CPC. | Signal only |
Insurance & finance — what can actually be claimed
The most expensive and most over-generalised category. Subtype tables in the source reports are not carried forward as South African averages.
| Vertical | Best defensible SA data | Evidence | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance — all types | Search CTR 3.25% · CPC R195.52 · CVR 2.11% · CPL R2,454.36 | [A] Observed SA benchmark | Grouped category. Do not assign it to life, car, medical aid or funeral cover individually. |
| Finance | Search CTR 6.83% · CPC R95.65 · CVR 2.99% · CPL R1,622.31 | [A] Observed SA benchmark | Observed Finance category, same cohort. |
| Life insurance | Keyword Planner SA: 5,000 monthly searches, top-of-page bid R44.95 – R140.31 | [C] Global proxy / SA estimate | Auction/bid signal only — not achieved CPC, CPL or CVR. |
| Car / short-term insurance | No SA subtype cohort found | [N] No public SA benchmark | Use the grouped insurance row plus account history. Never use automotive-sales CPC as a proxy. |
| Health insurance / medical aid | No SA subtype cohort found | [N] No public SA benchmark | Health & Fitness and Physicians metrics measure service demand, not insurance-product demand. |
| Funeral cover | No SA subtype cohort found | [N] No public SA benchmark | Build a first-party benchmark from the advertiser account. |
| Home insurance | No SA subtype cohort found | [N] No public SA benchmark | Grouped insurance category only until better evidence exists. |
| Business / commercial insurance | No SA subtype cohort found | [N] No public SA benchmark | B2B targeting changes channel mix materially; do not fabricate a CPC/CPL. |
How to use these numbers
A benchmark is a diagnostic reference, not a client promise.
1. Match the objective before comparing.
Meta traffic CPC is not comparable with purchase-optimised CPC; YouTube CPV is not comparable with Search CPC.
2. Match the vertical before the overall average.
Use the Insurance search row before the all-search average for an insurance advertiser.
3. Preserve the statistic.
Never present a median as an average, or blend medians with means.
4. Account truth outranks market truth.
Once volume is stable, use a rolling 60–90 day median by objective, platform and format.
5. Measure lead quality, not just CPL.
For insurance and B2B, track qualified-lead rate, contact rate, quote rate, sales rate and cost per sale.
6. Benchmark programmatic on its actual job.
Reach, frequency, viewability, completion and search lift before forcing a direct-response CPA.
7. Exclude fees and VAT.
These are media-performance benchmarks. Commission and VAT sit on top — model them in the Cost Ledger.