The Ad Spend
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GlossaryJune 5, 20262 min read

Cost Per Click (CPC)

Understand cost per click. Google average $5.26, Facebook $0.70, LinkedIn $5-10. See benchmarks by industry.

By The Ad Spend
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The price paid each time someone clicks your ad. Functions as both a bidding model and performance metric. Higher Quality Scores reduce CPC on Google.

Formula

Total Ad Spend ÷ Clicks

Benchmark range

Google Search: $5.26 (up 12.88% YoY). Legal: $8.58. Facebook: $0.70 (down 9% YoY). LinkedIn: $5-10.

Why it matters

Rising CPCs squeeze margins over time. Track monthly trends. If CPC increases without conversion rate improvement, investigate Quality Score, competition, or audience targeting. Facebook CPCs dropped 9% while Google rose 13%—consider budget reallocation.

Where it applies

  • Google Ads
  • Meta Ads
  • Microsoft Ads
  • LinkedIn Ads
  • TikTok Ads
  • Amazon Ads
  • Pinterest Ads

Related terms

See how the engine works