The short answer
The average Google Ads conversion rate across all UK industries is 4.4% on Search and 0.57% on Display (WordStream UK 2024 benchmarks). A "good" conversion rate is anything 2x your industry average - so 8-10% on Search for most B2C and 6-8% on Search for most B2B. Top-performing accounts regularly hit 10-15% on Search by combining tight match types, strong landing pages and Smart Bidding.
That's the universal answer. The honest one: conversion rate without context is a vanity metric. A 12% conversion rate on £15,000/month spend at a £400 CPA isn't necessarily better than a 4% conversion rate at a £80 CPA. Always benchmark conversion rate alongside CPA, ROAS and revenue.
What counts as a conversion
Conversion rate = (conversions / clicks) × 100. The trap is that "conversion" means different things in different accounts:
- Hard conversion - completed purchase, qualified lead, signed quote.
- Soft conversion - newsletter signup, brochure download, video watch, page scroll.
- Micro conversion - "added to basket", "started form", "viewed contact page".
An account counting all three of those as conversions will show a 15% conversion rate while the bank account stays empty. An account counting only completed purchases or qualified leads will show 4% but actually grow revenue. Read every benchmark below as hard conversions only.
Search Network conversion rates by industry (UK 2026)
These are blended UK benchmarks across WordStream UK 2024 data and Ben's own audits of 250+ accounts. The "Average" column is industry mean. The "Good" column is roughly the top 25% of accounts. The "Top tier" column is what mature, well-optimised accounts hit consistently.
| Industry | Average | Good | Top tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal services | 6.98% | 10% | 15%+ |
| Insurance | 6.25% | 9% | 14%+ |
| Finance / loans | 5.10% | 8% | 12%+ |
| Home services (plumbers, roofers) | 10.22% | 14% | 20%+ |
| Auto / dealers | 6.03% | 9% | 12%+ |
| Health / medical | 3.36% | 6% | 10%+ |
| Dental | 7.10% | 10% | 15%+ |
| Education / training | 3.39% | 6% | 10%+ |
| B2B SaaS | 3.04% | 5% | 8%+ |
| B2B services (consulting, agencies) | 3.50% | 6% | 10%+ |
| Ecommerce (general) | 2.81% | 5% | 8%+ |
| Ecommerce (fashion / apparel) | 2.20% | 4% | 6%+ |
| Travel / hospitality | 3.55% | 6% | 10%+ |
| Real estate | 2.47% | 4% | 7%+ |
| Industrial / B2B manufacturing | 3.37% | 6% | 9%+ |
| Technology (consumer) | 2.92% | 5% | 8%+ |
Display Network conversion rates by industry
Display conversion rates are roughly 5-10x lower than Search across every industry - that's normal. Display is interruption-based, not intent-based.
| Industry | Average Display CVR | Good |
|---|---|---|
| Legal services | 1.84% | 3%+ |
| Finance | 1.19% | 2.5%+ |
| Home services | 3.40% | 5%+ |
| Health / medical | 0.77% | 1.5%+ |
| B2B | 0.80% | 1.5%+ |
| Ecommerce | 0.59% | 1.2%+ |
| Travel | 0.51% | 1%+ |
Performance Max conversion rates by industry
Performance Max blends Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube and Discover into one campaign. Reported conversion rates sit between Search and Display - usually closer to Search for lead-gen and closer to Shopping for ecommerce.
| Industry | Typical PMax CVR | Good |
|---|---|---|
| Lead-gen (services) | 3-5% | 7%+ |
| Ecommerce (general) | 2-4% | 5%+ |
| Ecommerce (fashion) | 1.5-3% | 4%+ |
| B2B SaaS | 2-4% | 6%+ |
| Local services | 5-8% | 12%+ |
Caveat: PMax conversion rate reporting can be inflated by branded search traffic if you don't add brand exclusions. A "great" PMax conversion rate is sometimes just brand traffic in disguise. Always check the share of branded queries in PMax campaign insights.
What counts as a "good" conversion rate?
Three rules of thumb:
- Average = industry mean (the first column above).
- Good = 1.5-2x industry average. You're outperforming most competitors.
- Top tier = 3x+ industry average. Mature account, strong landing pages, trained Smart Bidding.
If you're below industry average, the leak is almost always one of three things: irrelevant traffic (match types and negatives), weak landing pages (no clear value prop, slow load, mobile broken), or a bid strategy fighting the wrong KPI.
Why conversion rates vary so wildly between accounts in the same industry
Two ecommerce accounts in the same vertical can show 1.8% and 7.2% conversion rates. Both are "real". The difference comes down to:
- Traffic mix - branded search converts at 15-25%, cold cold-prospect search at 1-3%. Account-level CVR depends entirely on the blend.
- Match type discipline - a broad match-heavy account with weak negatives will always show a lower CVR than a phrase + exact account with tight negatives.
- Landing page quality - dedicated landing pages convert 2-5x better than generic homepages.
- Offer strength - a free quote converts 4-8x better than a paid demo. Same product, different friction.
- Conversion definition - one account counts qualified leads, the other counts every form fill including spam.
How to improve your Google Ads conversion rate
1. Tighten match types and negatives
Move broad match keywords into phrase or exact unless Smart Bidding is mature. Add 50-200 negative keywords from the search terms report. This alone moves most accounts 30-50% closer to industry average within 30 days.
2. Build dedicated landing pages
One landing page per ad group, matched to the keyword intent and the ad copy. Generic homepages are a conversion rate ceiling for almost every campaign type.
3. Fix mobile experience
Mobile traffic is 60-70% of most UK accounts. If your mobile load time is over 3 seconds or the form requires zooming, you're capping CVR no matter how good the targeting is.
4. Reduce form friction
Every additional form field reduces conversion rate by roughly 5-10%. Strip lead forms back to name, email and phone. Move qualifying questions to the post-conversion thank-you page.
5. Match offer to intent
Bottom-funnel keywords ("emergency plumber near me") need an immediate-response offer. Top-funnel keywords ("how much does plumbing cost") need an educational offer. Mismatched offers tank conversion rate even when traffic is excellent.
6. Switch to Smart Bidding once you have data
Target CPA or Maximise Conversions consistently lifts CVR by 15-30% versus Manual CPC, once you have 30+ conversions per 30 days and trained for 14+ days.
Tracking mistakes that inflate or hide conversion rates
Counting every form fill as a conversion
Spam form fills, duplicate submissions and unqualified leads all show as conversions if you don't filter. Use a CRM-fed offline conversion import where possible.
Counting "engaged sessions" or "page views" as conversions
GA4 will let you import almost anything as a Google Ads conversion. Don't. Only count actions that map to revenue or qualified pipeline.
Double-counting across primary and secondary
If a single user triggers "form submit", "thank you page view" and "click to call" all marked as Primary, they show as 3 conversions. Pick one Primary per action.
Cross-domain tracking gaps
If your ad lands on yourbrand.com and the conversion happens on book.yourbrand.com without proper cross-domain setup, you'll lose attribution and see an artificially low conversion rate.
Enhanced conversions disabled
Turn on Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads. It recovers 5-15% of conversions lost to iOS tracking restrictions and ad blockers.
How Ben benchmarks conversion rates in audits
Phase 1 of the 90-Day Revenue Takeover always starts with a CVR audit by campaign, ad group, device and match type - not just the account-level number. The account-level CVR is almost always misleading because branded search inflates it.
Then Ben benchmarks against the industry table above and looks for the biggest gaps. Across 250+ accounts, the median lift in conversion rate after Phase 2 (rebuild) is 40-60% within 60 days, almost entirely from match type discipline, landing page rebuilds and conversion tracking fixes - before any bid changes.
