Google Ads for clothing brands
Apparel search clicks cost $4.44 and 4.50% of them converted in LocaliQ's 2026 benchmarks, so a clothing brand pays about $97.51 per conversion on search. Most of the profit comes from Shopping and Performance Max on a feed that carries size, color, gender and age group for every variant, with ROAS judged on revenue that stays after returns.
Apparel search costs in 2026
| Category | Data period | Cost per click | Click-through rate | Conversion rate | Cost per conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel / Fashion & Jewelry[1] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | $4.44 | 6.64% | 4.50% | $97.51 |
| Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts[1] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | $4.14 | 8.28% | 4.01% | $49.40 |
| All industries[1] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | $5.42 | 6.64% | 8.18% | $66.69 |
LocaliQ's apparel category also counts jewelry stores, and nothing we could read at the source splits clothing out on its own.[1] Apparel converted at about half the all-industry rate, which is why size and fit detail in the feed matters so much here.
What moves clothing ROAS on Google
- Size availability. A dress that's sold out in the two most common sizes still gets clicks from Shopping, and almost none of them buy. Pause or exclude variants that are broken on size.
- Returns. Apparel has some of the highest return rates in ecommerce, and Google counts the sale the moment it happens. Upload adjusted conversion values or judge campaigns on kept revenue.
- Basics versus fashion. Core tees and jeans sell all year at steady prices. Seasonal pieces have a short window and a markdown at the end, so they need their own budgets.
- Fit words in titles. Searches like "high rise wide leg jeans" and "relaxed fit oxford shirt" are where clothing converts. A title that only carries the style name misses them.
- Price band. A $35 tee and a $280 coat can't share a ROAS target. Group products by price before you group them by category.
Break-even ROAS for a sample clothing brand
A made-up womenswear label sells dresses and knitwear with a $110 average order and a 55% gross margin. Here is what a first order can cost before returns.
$110 average order, 55% gross margin
At the category benchmark, the first order loses money on search. Returns make it worse: if a fifth of revenue comes back, each booked dollar keeps 44 cents of margin, and break-even ROAS on booked revenue rises to 2.27x before return handling costs. Clothing brands close that gap with repeat customers, bigger baskets from outfit bundles, and Shopping traffic that costs less per sale than broad search.
Run your own margin through the ROAS calculator.
Campaign mix for a clothing brand
Shopping placements carry most apparel sales because shoppers want to see the garment before they click. Search covers fit and style queries, and video sells the look.
| Campaign | Built from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Max (feed) | Asset groups by line (women's, men's) and then by price band | The main sales campaign. Feed in on-model images and short try-on clips for each asset group. |
| Standard Shopping | Core basics that sell all year | Steady bids on proven sellers, with search terms you can read and turn into negatives. |
| Search, brand | Brand name, brand plus category ("[brand] jeans") | Kept separate so cheap returning-customer sales don't inflate the prospecting numbers. |
| Search, non-brand | Fit plus style plus fabric ("linen wide leg pants women") | Phrase and exact match, each ad group sent to the matching filtered collection page. |
| Demand Gen or YouTube | Try-on hauls, styling videos and lookbook images | Use the videos that already sell on Meta. Judge on new-customer revenue. |
Feed and title tips for clothing
Google requires color, size, gender and age group for apparel shown in the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan and Brazil.[2] Titles can run to 150 characters, but shoppers usually see about 70, so the garment type and fit go first.[3]
- Order the title as gender, garment, fit, fabric, color, size. Your style name can sit at the end.
- Send every size and color as its own variant with an item_group_id, so a search for "black midi dress size 12" can match the exact variant.
- Use your real fabric content (100% linen, organic cotton, merino). Shoppers filter on it and it separates you from fast fashion.
- Add the size system (US, UK, EU) and size type (petite, plus, tall) where you carry them.
- Swap in lifestyle images as additional images and keep a clean product shot as the main image.
Product title examples
Up to 150 characters; shoppers usually see the first 70 or fewer[3]
- Dress: Women's Linen Midi Wrap Dress, Relaxed Fit, Sage Green, Size 8, Marlow Dress76
- Jeans: Men's Slim Taper Selvedge Denim Jeans, 13oz Raw Indigo, 32W x 32L65
- Knitwear: Women's Merino Wool Crewneck Sweater, Oversized Fit, Oatmeal, Petite Small74
Search keywords for a clothing brand
Fit, fabric and occasion turn a browsing search into a buying one. Use these as a starting shape and replace them with your own garments.
Fit and style
high rise wide leg jeansrelaxed fit linen shirt menpetite midi dress
Fabric
100% linen dressmerino wool sweater womenorganic cotton t shirt
Occasion
wedding guest dresswork trousers womensummer vacation outfits
Brand
[brand name][brand name] dresses[brand name] sizing
Negative keywords for clothing stores
Clothing searches pull in sewing, resale and costume traffic. Add these, then check the search terms report weekly. Google won't match negatives to close variants, so list plurals too.[4]
sewing patternpatternsfabriccostumehalloweenusedthriftsecondhandposhmarkwholesalebulkuniformscrubsdonatealterations
Ad copy examples
Assets for the sample label, within the 30-character headline and 90-character description limits.[5] Replace the fabric and return terms with your own.
Non-brand: linen dresses
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- Linen Midi Dresses18
- Relaxed Fit, True to Size25
- Sizes 0 to 22 and Petite24
- Free Returns for 30 Days24
- European Flax Linen19
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- Washed linen midi dresses cut for an easy fit. Sizes 0 to 22, with petite lengths too.86
- Breathable, lightweight and softer each wash. Read the fit notes on every product page.87
Brand: men's line
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- [Brand] Men's Collection24
- Selvedge Denim and Oxfords26
- Fit Guide on Every Page23
- New Fall Knitwear17
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- Slim, straight and relaxed fits in raw selvedge denim, oxford shirts and merino knits.86
- Find your size with our fit guide, then exchange within 30 days if it isn't right.82
Return windows and exchange terms belong in the copy only when they are true for every product the ad points to.
Clothing seasons and budgets
Apparel runs on two collection drops a year plus holiday gifting. Spring and summer pieces sell from March to July, fall and winter from late August to December, and Black Friday week often brings the highest daily sales of the year. End-of-season markdowns move volume at lower margin, so lower the ROAS target only on the products that are on sale.
For a short sale event of a few days, a seasonality adjustment tells Smart Bidding to expect the conversion spike. Google recommends them for 1 to 7 day events and says they work less well past 14 days.[6]
How RunAds runs Google Ads for clothing brands
What the agent does for you
- Splits your catalog into Performance Max and Shopping campaigns by line and price band, each with its own ROAS target.
- Fills missing size, color, gender and age group fields and rewrites titles so fit and fabric come first, with every change shown to you.
- Writes the search ads and builds Demand Gen assets from your existing videos, and waits for your approval before launch.
- Watches the account daily and flags products that get clicks and no sales, often a sign of broken sizes.
See the ecommerce guide by niche, the DTC brands guide or the pricing section.
Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend.
Common questions
How much do Google Ads cost for a clothing brand?
The budget is yours to set. LocaliQ's 2026 search benchmarks put apparel, fashion and jewelry at $4.44 a click, 4.50% conversion rate and $97.51 per conversion. That category mixes clothing with jewelry, and it covers Search only; Shopping and Performance Max are priced separately.
Which Merchant Center attributes does clothing need?
For apparel sold in the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan and Brazil, Google requires color, size, gender and age group, and free listings need them for all apparel and accessories. Missing any of them can keep a product out of Shopping results.
How do returns change the ROAS a clothing brand needs?
Returned orders still count in Google's conversion value unless you adjust them, so reported ROAS overstates profit. If a fifth of revenue comes back, a 55% margin brand needs about 2.27x reported ROAS to break even, compared with 1.82x with no returns.
Should women's and men's clothing run in the same campaign?
Split them. The two lines usually differ in order value, conversion rate and search terms, and a shared budget drifts toward whichever line Google finds cheaper to convert. Separate asset groups or campaigns keep each line on its own ROAS target.
Can RunAds run Google Ads for my clothing brand?
Yes. RunAds is an AI agent that builds your Shopping, Performance Max and Search campaigns, writes the ads and checks the account every day. You approve each launch and budget change before it happens, and signing up is free.
Sources
- NEW 2026 Search Advertising Benchmarks (+Tips), LocaliQ (with WordStream), by Stephanie Heitman. Last updated June 1, 2026.Google Ads and Microsoft Ads search campaigns across 23 industries. The page labels each figure an average.
- Product data specification, Google Merchant Center Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Color, size, gender and age group are required for apparel targeted to Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. GTIN is strongly recommended where one exists; products with a GTIN submitted without one may have limited visibility.
- Title [title] and structured title [structured_title], Google Merchant Center Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Titles can run 1 to 150 characters; shoppers usually see the first 70 or fewer. No prices, sale dates, shipping details or all-caps emphasis in titles.
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Negative keywords don't match close variants, so synonyms and singular or plural forms have to be added separately. Casing and misspellings are covered automatically.
- About responsive search ads, Google Ads Help. Checked Oct 30, 2026.3 to 15 headlines of up to 30 characters, 2 to 4 descriptions of up to 90 characters; include at least one keyword in your headlines.
- About seasonality adjustments, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.For short events of 1 to 7 days where you expect a large conversion rate change; less effective beyond 14 days, because Smart Bidding already handles regular seasonality.
Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it. RunAds has not published its own account data here.
Related pages
Sell more of the collection on Google.
RunAds sets up your Shopping, Performance Max and Search campaigns and checks them daily. 1,500+ businesses have signed up.
Create your free account Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend. No contracts.