Ads · Mar 10, 2026 · 8 min read
Google Ads vs Yandex.Direct in 2026: where to put your money
Performance Max, custom intent, and where Russian-language buyers actually click.
The short answer
If your audience is in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or expat-heavy CIS countries — Yandex.Direct gets you 30-50% lower cost per click. Everywhere else, Google. For brands operating in both — run both, with separate creative.
Performance Max vs Master Campaigns
Google's Performance Max now drives the majority of conversions for our SaaS clients. Yandex's Master Campaigns are catching up but still need more manual control. Don't dump your budget into one — split 60/40 between automated and manual.
What kills budget
- No conversion tracking import — you're optimizing for clicks, not customers.
- Generic creative — same ad in 47 ad groups.
- Bidding on competitor names without negative keywords for their products.
- Sending paid traffic to a homepage instead of a campaign-specific landing.
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