The numbers, not the hype.
22 cited statistics on Google Ads, AI search, SEO/AEO, and regulated-vertical advertising. Each number links to the primary source. Built to be quoted.
AI Search
| Claim | Figure |
|---|---|
| AI Overviews appearance rate on US Google queries (study period 2025) | ~50% of queries surveyed showed an AI summary Pew Research, July 2025 · as of 2025-07 |
| Click-through rate drop on search results when an AI Overview is present | Users click only 8% of result links when an AI summary appears, vs 15% when none does Pew Research, July 2025 · as of 2025-07 |
| Perplexity disclosed monthly query volume | 780 million queries in May 2025, growing TechCrunch reporting from Perplexity, May 2025 · as of 2025-05 |
| Princeton GEO study: citation-rate lift from citing authoritative sources | +40% LLM citation rate when external sources are present in content Princeton GEO, KDD 2024 (arXiv:2311.09735) · as of 2024-08 |
| Princeton GEO study: citation-rate lift from adding statistics with sources | +37% LLM citation rate when statistics with attributions are present Princeton GEO, KDD 2024 (arXiv:2311.09735) · as of 2024-08 |
| Princeton GEO study: citation-rate lift from expert quotations | +30% LLM citation rate when named-expert quotes are present Princeton GEO, KDD 2024 (arXiv:2311.09735) · as of 2024-08 |
| Princeton GEO study: keyword-stuffing penalty in LLM citation systems | −10% LLM citation rate when content uses keyword stuffing Princeton GEO, KDD 2024 (arXiv:2311.09735) · as of 2024-08 |
Paid Media
| Claim | Figure |
|---|---|
| Google Ads Smart Bidding minimum conversions before reliable optimization | 30+ conversions per month per campaign (Target CPA); 50+ for Target ROAS Google Ads Help: About Smart Bidding · as of 2026-01 |
| Smart Bidding learning-phase duration after major bid/budget/goal changes | 7-14 days of volatile performance before re-stabilization Google Ads Help: Smart Bidding strategies · as of 2026-01 |
| GCLID parameter lifespan for offline-conversion imports | 90 days from click, uploads against expired GCLIDs are silently dropped Google Ads Help: About auto-tagging and GCLID · as of 2026-01 |
| Customer Match minimum list size before audience becomes targetable | 1,000 matched users (below threshold, audience is inactive) Google Ads Help: About Customer Match · as of 2026-01 |
| Quality Score's auction-level impact on CPC | A 1-point Quality Score lift typically reduces CPC by 10-15% on the affected keyword Google Ads Help: About Quality Score · as of 2026-01 |
SEO & AEO
| Claim | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average position threshold for inclusion in Google AI Overview citations | Typically requires top-5 organic rank for the underlying query Google Search Central: Generative AI and Search · as of 2024-05 |
| E-E-A-T fourth E ('Experience') added to Search Quality Rater Guidelines | December 2022: Google added Experience as a first-party-knowledge signal Google Search Central blog: E-E-A-T announcement · as of 2022-12 |
| Core Web Vitals metrics used by Google's Page Experience signal | LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), INP (Interaction to Next Paint), CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) web.dev: Web Vitals · as of 2024-03 |
| Knowledge Graph entity consolidation timeline for new entities | Typically 2-6 months for first appearance; faster with 3+ independent third-party citations Google Search Central: Knowledge Panels eligibility · as of 2024-09 |
CRO
| Claim | Figure |
|---|---|
| Mobile share of typical Google Ads traffic in 2026 | 65-75% mobile traffic across most accounts Google Ads Help: Mobile bid adjustments · as of 2026-01 |
| Page load speed threshold beyond which Quality Score is capped | Pages with poor Core Web Vitals capped at Quality Score 5-6, regardless of ad copy Google Ads Help: Landing page experience · as of 2026-01 |
Regulation
| Claim | Figure |
|---|---|
| Healthcare advertising: Google's personalized-health-condition targeting policy | Banned outright by Google's Ads Policy (no targeting based on inferred health conditions) Google Ads policies: Personalized advertising · as of 2024-01 |
| HIPAA Online Tracking guidance: what HHS OCR added in 2024 | Required BAA coverage for tracking pixels on patient-portal pages and authenticated health content HHS Office for Civil Rights: Online Tracking guidance · as of 2024-03 |
| LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification annual fee | Approximately $1,995/year + annual recertification LegitScript: Healthcare Merchant Certification · as of 2025-06 |
| FDA OPDP: fair-balance requirement for prescription drug advertising | Every efficacy claim requires a corresponding risk presentation of comparable prominence FDA: Basics of Drug Ads · as of 2024-08 |
Further reading
Google Guaranteed: What It Means, How to Get It, and What It Costs
The Google Guaranteed badge, explained: what the green checkmark actually promises, who qualifies, what verification involves, and what it really costs.
Google Local Services Ads: How They Work and What They Cost
Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are pay-per-lead, not pay-per-click. How they work, which businesses qualify, what they cost, and how ranking is decided.
Google Maps Ads: How They Work and What They Cost
Google Maps ads put your business at the top of the map and local results. How promoted pins and Local Services Ads work on Maps, what they cost, and how to set them up.
How Much Do Google Ads Cost in 2026? An Honest Answer
Google Ads has no fixed price, you set the budget. What you actually pay, what drives cost per click, realistic budgets by business size, and the number that matters.
The 2026 Google Ads Cost Report: 6 Patterns Across 9 Industries
An analysis of published Google Ads cost data across 9 industries: six patterns in CPC, CPL, and conversion rates that show where budget is won and lost.
Performance Marketing's Definition Is About to Change
Performance marketing has meant trackable, attributable, measurable. As cookies die and AI Overviews reshape search, that's shifting. Here's what's next.
How Google AI Overviews Are Reshaping PPC in 2026
Google AI Overviews now appear on 30%+ of results. They're cannibalising organic clicks and changing paid search. How advertisers should adapt strategy.
How to Calculate Your Real Cost Per Lead
Google Ads reports CPL in the dashboard. That number is almost always wrong. How to calculate your real cost per lead, and why agencies overstate by 30-50%.
Citation policy
Every statistic on this page is sourced to a primary publisher (Google, HHS, FDA, FTC, Pew Research, Princeton, regulator websites, or company-issued disclosures). If you find a stat here that's stale, outdated, or contradicted by a more recent primary source, email info@myleadsfactory.comand we'll correct it within 5 business days. We don't recycle other agencies' research summaries, only first-cited primary sources. See also our atomic-definition glossary.
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