What is a Benchmark?

A benchmark is a reference point or average value against which you measure your own performance. In marketing you use benchmarks to judge whether your results are good, average or below par compared with your industry or your historical data.

Types of benchmarks

Internal benchmarks: your own historical performance as a reference (last month, last year). External benchmarks: industry averages for metrics such as open rate, CTR, conversion rate and CPA. Competitive benchmarks: the performance of direct competitors, measured with tools such as Ahrefs or Similarweb.

Benchmarks per channel

Email open rate benchmark: 25 to 35 per cent for B2B. CTR in Google Ads: 5 to 10 per cent for search ads. Conversion rate in e-commerce: 1 to 3 per cent. Engagement rate on Instagram: 1 to 3 per cent. Use these as a guideline, not as absolute standards: context is everything.

Benchmarking in practice

Benchmarks are most useful as a starting point and as motivation. A CPA above the benchmark is a signal to optimise. A ROAS above the benchmark gives you the confidence to scale.

Are industry benchmarks always reliable?

They give you a direction, but context varies enormously by business, region and season. Use your own historical data as your primary benchmark.

Where can I find reliable benchmarks?

In Google Ads benchmarks, Mailchimp benchmark reports and HubSpot’s State of Marketing. More at developers.google.com/search.

What is a benchmark in marketing?

A benchmark in marketing is a reference value you compare your own results with, for example the average click-through rate or the average conversion rate in your industry. That tells you whether your performance is good or below par, instead of looking at numbers in isolation.

How do you use a benchmark?

You compare your own figures with the benchmark and use the difference as a direction. If you are below average, there is room to improve; if you are above it, you know it works. Use benchmarks as a compass, not as an absolute standard, because every situation is different.