Ninety one percent of marketers use some form of digital advertising. Average cost per click on Google search ads stands at two dollars and sixty nine cents. Data on attribution practices, automation adoption, and spend lost to fraud or brand safety issues show where measurable returns concentrate.
Key Takeaways
- 31% of marketers said they use paid search because it’s the most effective channel for lead generation in 2024
- In a 2023 survey, 72% of marketers said measuring attribution is important to improving campaign ROI
- A 2022 peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that demand response to online ads exhibits diminishing returns after reaching a saturation point (quantified in study model)
- A 2020 peer-reviewed study estimated that clickbait-like patterns can reduce trust and increase negative brand sentiment, affecting downstream conversion probabilities (model reported)
- 62% of marketers use at least one automation tool for marketing operations (2023/2024 survey)
- Brand safety issues caused 6% of spend to be withheld in a 2024 survey of advertisers
- In the EU, the GDPR allows fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher, for certain infringements
- Average cost per click (CPC) on Google Ads for search was $2.69 in 2024 (benchmark reported)
- The U.S. CPI for advertising moved from 121.1 in 2019 to 148.2 in 2024 (index basis), indicating rising advertising input costs
- International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that worldwide spending on advertising and marketing software reached $5.0 billion in 2023
- Gartner forecast that global ad spending would reach $1.0 trillion in 2024 (includes all ad formats)
- LinkedIn advertising revenue (U.S./global advertising) exceeded $5.7B in 2023 (Microsoft reporting segment notes)
- In 2024, 91% of surveyed marketers reported using at least one form of digital advertising
- 66% of marketers reported using a CDP (customer data platform) or planning to implement one in 2024
Marketers increasingly rely on paid search and data and attribution tools, even as ad costs, fraud, and brand safety risks rise.
Related reading
01 · Category
Channel Roi1 stats
01
31% of marketers said they use paid search because it’s the most effective channel for lead generation in 2024
Interpretation
Channel Roi Interpretation
In 2024, 31% of marketers say paid search is their most effective channel for lead generation, reinforcing that within Channel Roi, search performance remains a key driver of measurable returns.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
In a 2023 survey, 72% of marketers said measuring attribution is important to improving campaign ROI
02
A 2022 peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that demand response to online ads exhibits diminishing returns after reaching a saturation point (quantified in study model)
03
A 2020 peer-reviewed study estimated that clickbait-like patterns can reduce trust and increase negative brand sentiment, affecting downstream conversion probabilities (model reported)
04
A 2019 peer-reviewed meta-analysis in the Journal of Interactive Marketing found that personalized online ads significantly improve engagement metrics (effect size reported)
05
In 2024, 35% of marketing leaders said they are using multi-touch attribution models for optimization (survey)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance Metrics efforts are clearly focused on attribution and optimization, with 72% of marketers in 2023 saying attribution matters for improving campaign ROI and 35% of marketing leaders in 2024 using multi-touch models to optimize, suggesting measurement is becoming a core lever for better performance.
03 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
62% of marketers use at least one automation tool for marketing operations (2023/2024 survey)
02
Brand safety issues caused 6% of spend to be withheld in a 2024 survey of advertisers
03
In the EU, the GDPR allows fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher, for certain infringements
04
U.S. BLS reports that employment in advertising, public relations, and related services increased from 736,000 in 2019 to 781,000 in 2024 (seasonally adjusted)
05
84% of marketers reported that personalization is important to their marketing strategy (2024 survey)
06
In 2023, 52% of marketers reported using influencer marketing as a performance lever tied to measurable KPIs (2023 survey)
07
The ANA reported that $27.0B in U.S. ad spend was lost to fraud in 2023 (industry estimate)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Performance marketing is getting more automated and KPI-driven as 62% of marketers already use marketing automation and 52% use influencer marketing tied to measurable metrics, while personalization remains a clear priority for 84% of marketers.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
Average cost per click (CPC) on Google Ads for search was $2.69in 2024 (benchmark reported)
02
The U.S. CPI for advertising moved from 121.1 in 2019 to 148.2 in 2024 (index basis), indicating rising advertising input costs
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, the data shows that Google Ads search CPC averaged $2.69 in 2024 while advertising input costs in the US rose from 121.1 in 2019 to 148.2 in 2024, signaling steadily higher costs marketers need to plan for.
05 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that worldwide spending on advertising and marketing software reached $5.0 billion in 2023
02
Gartner forecast that global ad spending would reach $1.0 trillion in 2024 (includes all ad formats)
03
LinkedIn advertising revenue (U.S./global advertising) exceeded $5.7B in 2023 (Microsoft reporting segment notes)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the performance marketing agency market, the scale is enormous as global ad spending is forecast to hit $1.0 trillion in 2024 while platforms like LinkedIn already surpassed $5.7B in advertising revenue in 2023 and ad and marketing software spending reached $5.0B in 2023, signaling sustained, multi-channel investment growth.
06 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
In 2024, 91% of surveyed marketers reported using at least one form of digital advertising
02
66% of marketers reported using a CDP (customer data platform) or planning to implement one in 2024
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For user adoption, the key trend is that 91% of marketers used at least one form of digital advertising in 2024 while 66% were also leveraging a CDP or planning to implement one, suggesting adoption is increasingly tied to building the data infrastructure needed to scale onboarding and engagement.
report visual · Comparison
How marketers use performance marketing channels & measurement
Marketers heavily favor digital advertising and personalization, and most view attribution measurement as critical for improving campaign ROI.
In 2024, 91% of surveyed marketers reported using at least one form of digital advertising91%
84% of marketers reported that personalization is important to their marketing strategy (2024 survey)
84%
In a 2023 survey, 72% of marketers said measuring attribution is important to improving campaign ROI
72%
In 2024, 35% of marketing leaders said they are using multi-touch attribution models for optimization (survey)
35%
source-verifiedhubspot.com · salesforce.com · g2.com · mckinsey.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Performance Marketing Agency Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/performance-marketing-agency-industry-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Performance Marketing Agency Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/performance-marketing-agency-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Performance Marketing Agency Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/performance-marketing-agency-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)