Agency Echelon
Reference

Benchmarks

Typical cost and performance ranges by channel, assembled from published studies and agency-reported data. Reviewed September 17, 2026. A benchmark tells you whether a number is unusual; it does not tell you whether it is good, which depends on margin, deal size, and what counts as a conversion.

Read these as ranges for a US-weighted, cross-industry account. Every metric here moves by industry (legal and insurance search clicks cost five times the average), by objective (traffic clicks are cheaper than lead clicks), by season (Q4 CPMs run 30 to 50 percent above Q1), and by the quality of the account. Where a platform publishes no official figures, the range is what agencies report and is marked as such.
Average CPC$4.30 to $5.50 across industries; Legal, Insurance, and Financial Services from about $15 to over $23; Ecommerce and Arts under $2
Average CTR6 to 7 percent across industries in 2026 studies; under 5 percent in Legal and Industrial, above 9 percent in Dating and Finance
Conversion rate5.7 to 8.2 percent (click-based) across industries; highly dependent on what counts as a conversion
Cost per lead$67 to $76 blended; $130 to $300 in Legal, Insurance, and Financial Services
ROASAbout 4x blended in agency-reported data; ecommerce accounts commonly target 4x to 6x

Sources: WordStream/LocaliQ Search Advertising Benchmarks 2026, Visionary Marketing 2026 Google Ads benchmark report, ClickMinded Google Ads benchmarks. Full page.

Google Display Network

Average CPM$2 to $5 for standard display; higher with vCPM and audience targeting
Average CTR0.4 to 0.6 percent
Conversion rate0.5 to 1 percent (click-based); most Display conversions are view-through

Sources: Affninja Google Ads statistics 2026. Full page.

YouTube

CPV (skippable in-stream)$0.03 to $0.10 in most markets; higher for narrow audiences
CPM (non-skippable, bumper, Shorts)$8 to $20 depending on targeting and reservation
View rate (skippable)15 to 35 percent; creative-dependent

Sources: Google Ads Help, video campaign metrics. Full page.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

Average CPM$13 to $14 median in H1 2026, up roughly 20 percent year over year; wide spread from under $3 to over $60 by account and objective
Average CPC$0.70 to $0.80 for traffic campaigns; $1.40 to $1.90 blended and for lead campaigns; $3 or more in SaaS
Average CTR1.0 to 2.2 percent; 0.6 percent in SaaS, 1.5 percent in pet products
Conversion rateAbout 1.6 percent (click-based)
CPAAbout $38 median for ecommerce panels
ROASAbout 1.9x median across large ecommerce panels

Sources: ContentStudio Meta ads benchmarks 2026, Synter Meta Ads CPM benchmark H1 2026, Creatify: what is a good CPC, CPM, and CTR for Meta ads (AdRiseLab and WordStream data). Full page.

TikTok

Average CPM$8 to $12 in the US; lower in most other markets
Average CPC$0.50 to $1.50
Average CTR0.8 to 1.5 percent

Public TikTok benchmark studies vary widely; these ranges reflect agency-reported medians and should be treated as approximate.

Sources: TikTok for Business Help Center. Full page.

LinkedIn

Average CPM$30 to $45
Average CPC$5 to $9; $10 or more for senior titles in competitive industries
Average CTR0.4 to 0.7 percent for sponsored content
Cost per lead (Lead Gen Forms)$50 to $150 typical; higher for enterprise targeting

Agency-reported ranges; LinkedIn does not publish official benchmarks.

Sources: LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Help. Full page.

X

Average CPM$5 to $7
Average CPC$0.30 to $1.00
Average CTR0.8 to 1.2 percent

Agency-reported ranges.

Sources: X Ads Help Center. Full page.

Pinterest

Average CPM$2 to $5
Average CPC$0.10 to $1.50

Agency-reported ranges.

Sources: Pinterest Business Help. Full page.

Reddit

Average CPM$3 to $8
Average CPC$0.30 to $1.00

Agency-reported ranges.

Sources: Reddit for Business Help. Full page.

Programmatic display and video

Display CPM$1 to $4 open auction; $5 to $15 on private marketplaces and premium publishers
Online video CPM$10 to $25
Native CPM$3 to $10
Viewability60 to 75 percent typical for display after optimization; 70 to 80 percent for video

Sources: IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, ANA Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study 2023. Full page.

Connected TV

CPM$20 to $45 programmatic; $35 to $65 for premium publisher direct and live sports higher still
Completion rate95 to 98 percent (non-skippable)

Sources: IAB Digital Video Ad Spend and Strategy Report. Full page.

Audio and podcasts

Streaming audio CPM$10 to $20
Podcast CPM (host-read)$18 to $30 for a 30-second read; $25 to $50 for 60 seconds on established shows
Podcast CPM (dynamically inserted)$12 to $25

Sources: IAB Podcast Advertising Revenue Study. Full page.

Amazon Sponsored Products

Average CPC$0.90 to $1.50 blended; $2 or more in supplements, beauty, and electronics
ACoS25 to 35 percent typical; varies by margin and lifecycle stage
Conversion rate10 to 15 percent for Sponsored Products (Amazon's on-site conversion rates are far higher than off-site)

Agency-reported ranges.

Sources: Amazon Ads Help. Full page.

How to use a benchmark

Compare your account to the range for your industry and objective, not to the blended average. A CPC above the range with a Quality Score that has not moved means competition rose; a CPC above the range with falling Quality Score means the account decayed. A CPA is judged against the value of what it buys: $300 per lead is cheap for a $50,000 contract and ruinous for a $40 product. And a platform-reported ROAS is that platform's claim; see incrementality and MER before comparing channels on it.

Corrections and additions with a source go to info@agencyechelon.com.

Reference

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Reviewed September 23, 2026. Reference text is licensed CC BY 4.0. Privacy