Google Ads Benchmarks by Country
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Average Google Ads performance in South Africa across all industries. Figures in ZAR (R).
Select an industry to highlight it in the table. All figures in ZAR (R).
8 ad channels · 61 countries · 38 industries
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Common questions about Google Ads performance in South Africa.
The average CPC for Google Search Ads in South Africa is around R13.86 across all industries. South Africa has lower CPCs than mature English-speaking markets, reflecting lower advertiser competition and average order values. High-competition verticals like legal, finance, insurance and property still see significantly higher CPCs than the market average.
A good CTR for Google Search Ads in South Africa is typically 2.5–4.5%, with a cross-industry average around 3.1–3.3%. South Africa tends to see competitive CTRs in mobile-first verticals like food delivery, gaming and entertainment. Display campaigns will have much lower CTRs (often under 0.5%), so always compare like for like.
Google Ads CPCs in South Africa are lower primarily because advertiser competition is lower and consumer average order values are smaller than in mature English-speaking markets. The auction has fewer high-budget international advertisers competing for local-language keywords. As digital advertising adoption grows in Africa, CPCs are gradually increasing year-over-year.
The average Google Ads conversion rate in South Africa is approximately 3.2–3.8% across all industries. Conversion rates can be lower than mature markets due to less developed digital payment infrastructure and longer trust-building cycles. Mobile landing page optimisation is especially important in South Africa, where a significant share of traffic is mobile-first.
Plan and report in local currency (ZAR) when advertising in South Africa. Google Ads bills in the currency you set for your account — if it's ZAR, all costs will be in ZAR. Using USD benchmarks will give you misleading comparisons because the local auction, consumer purchasing power and cost structures differ significantly from the US market.
Benchmarks are reviewed and updated quarterly. The current data reflects industry aggregates compiled from anonymised campaign data and published industry reports. Individual results will vary based on keyword competition, Quality Score, bid strategy, landing page experience and account structure.
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