Why do we need benchmarks if everyone's business is different?

They answer one question: are you within reason or have you gone way overboard? This is useful at the start, when there is no history yet, and when analyzing anomalies. A benchmark is not suitable for setting goals - the goal is calculated from one’s own economy.

Why is the market median misleading?

Because it averages out disparate niches. In the cost per click, the spread between local services and legal topics is multiple, and the overall median does not describe either of them. You need to look at the line of your niche.

What is the best way to compare your performance?

With you in the previous period. This is the only comparison where product, price, audience and deal cycle are the same. Market benchmarks are a supporting guide, not the main one.

Is it possible to set a benchmark as a KPI?

Not worth it. The market median knows nothing about your margin: for one business it is unattainable, for another it is too modest. KPI is calculated from acceptable values derived from its own economy.

How often should I update my understanding of the norms?

Once every six months is enough. Sharp shifts occur when there are structural changes in the market - the departure of a major player, changes in the rules of sites - and they are usually known even without benchmarks.

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PerformanceSeptember 5, 20269 min

Russian market benchmarks 2026: summary of seven metrics and how to use them

Summary of standard values for the Russian market: CPC in Direct, CTR in VK Ads, CPL in B2B, ROAS in e-com, LTV to CAC in SaaS, open rate email and landing page conversion. With rules of application: why the median is deceiving and what to actually compare yourself to.

Benchmarking is the most popular and most misused tool. They take him as a goal, although he answers only one question: have you flown beyond the boundaries of reason.

Other people's numbers don't know your margin, your check and your trade cycle. They are good for noticing an anomaly, but not good for setting a goal.

1. Seven metrics with summary

Metrica	Which question does it answer?
CPC in Yandex Direct	How much does a click cost in your niche, separately Search and YAN
CTR in VK Ads	Is it normal to respond to an ad?
CPL in B2B	How much does an lead cost in B2B niches?
ROAS in e-commerce	What kind of return is considered working in a product?
LTV to CAC in SaaS	Are the subscription economics converging?
Open rate in email	Is the database live and does the subject line work?
Landing page conversion	Is the page converting normally?

On each page, the values are divided into niches and given in three values: good, median and weak. Sources are indicated there.

2. Why the overall median is deceiving

Let's take the cost per click. There is a market median, but the spread between niches is multiple: local services and legal topics differ by an order of magnitude.

The overall median does not describe any of these niches. For local services it is so high that it creates a false sense of well-being; for legal purposes it is so underestimated that it causes panic.

Hence the rule: look at the line of your niche, not the final number. The general indicator is only suitable for talking about the market as a whole.

3. Range is more important than point

Three values - good, median, weak - show the width of the distribution, and this is more useful than one number.

Being in the median does not mean there is nothing to improve: half the market is doing better. Hitting a weak value does not mean disaster: perhaps your demand structure is different.

The range answers the question “how far can you go” - and this is what benchmarks are for.

4. Match the definitions

The main reason why the numbers in different sources differ significantly is not the market, but the terminology.

Lead: any application or only qualified ones?
Conversion: from visits or from unique visitors?
ROAS: from gross revenue or after returns?
Open rate: taking into account preloading of images or without?

Before you compare yourself to a benchmark, it's worth making sure you feel the same way. Otherwise, the difference in definition is passed off as a difference in result.

5. The main comparison is with yourself

The only comparison where all the conditions coincide: the same product, the same price, the same audience, the same transaction cycle.

A market benchmark is needed in two situations: at the start, when there is no history, and when analyzing an anomaly, when you need to understand whether it’s your problem or everyone else’s. In all other cases, your own dynamics are more useful.

How to separate your own changes from market ones using the example of cost per click - in analysis CPC speakers.

6. A benchmark is not a goal.

The temptation is clear: take the median and use it as a KPI. The problem is that the median doesn't know anything about your margin.

For a business with high margins, market CPL may be too modest a goal - you can afford to pay more and take more volume. For a business with low margins, the same figure is unattainable without loss.

The goal is calculated from its own economy: from the acceptable value derived from the margin and conversion. How - in parsing calculators.

7. How often to refresh the view

Once every six months is enough. Market indicators change slowly, and monitoring them monthly is pointless.

The exception is structural changes: the departure of a major player, changes in site rules, new regulations. Such events are usually known even without benchmarks, but it is after them that the benchmarks should be reconsidered.

8. Summary

The benchmark answers the question “are we in the market or not” and does not answer the question “what to do.” You need to look at your niche line and range, not the overall median.

The main comparison is with yourself in the past period. Goals are set based on one’s own economy, and not on someone else’s median.

All reports - in the benchmarks section. Calculations - in calculators. Related materials: unit economics, combination of CPL, CAC and LTV.