Paid Advertising
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Cost per click (CPC) is the average amount an advertiser pays each time someone clicks their ad. It is the core pricing and efficiency metric for traffic-focused campaigns, where you pay only when a user engages, rather than simply for being shown.
Why it matters
CPC directly affects how much traffic your budget buys, so lowering it stretches spend further. It is also an early signal of ad relevance and targeting fit, since irrelevant ads tend to cost more per click.
How it is measured
CPC = total ad spend / total clicks. Example: $300 spend generating 600 clicks = $300 / 600 = $0.50 CPC.
Typical benchmarks
CPC ranges enormously by industry and platform, from a few cents on broad social placements to many dollars in competitive search verticals like legal or finance.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CPC?
It is entirely industry- and platform-dependent, so compare against your own baselines and the value of the resulting visitors. A high CPC can still be profitable if those clicks convert well; a low CPC is worthless if traffic never converts.
How do I lower my CPC?
Improve ad relevance and click-through rate, refine targeting, raise Quality Score on search platforms, test stronger creative and copy, and adjust bidding strategy. Higher relevance generally earns cheaper clicks because platforms reward useful ads.
How is CPC different from CPA?
CPC measures the cost of a single click, which only brings a visitor to your site. CPA measures the cost of a completed conversion such as a purchase or signup. You can have a low CPC but high CPA if those clicks do not convert.