CPC (cost per click)
Also known as: Cost per click, Average CPC
In short
The cost of an advertising click; average CPC divides the total cost of clicks by the number of clicks in the same reporting scope.
Separate the measured cost from the bid
An actual CPC is the amount charged for a particular click. Average CPC summarizes the cost across the clicks included in a report. A maximum CPC bid is a bidding input, not the average price shown after delivery.
Calculate average CPC as total click cost ÷ total clicks. Use the same dates, currency and campaign scope for both values. When combining campaigns, divide their combined cost by their combined clicks instead of averaging the displayed CPC values.
A platform-recorded click is also not necessarily a website visit. The browser may close before the landing page or analytics code loads.
Illustrative calculation
Imagine a fictional campaign spending $180 on 300 clicks over one week. Average CPC is $180 ÷ 300 = $0.60.
A second campaign records a lower average CPC. That comparison says its measured clicks were cheaper; it does not show whether those visitors were more likely to purchase or whether their orders were valuable.
Evaluate the outcome after the click
Read CPC alongside conversion rate, cost per action and the relevant value measure. Different audiences and placements may serve different objectives. There is no universal CPC that makes every campaign successful. If the selected report has no clicks, an average cost per click cannot be meaningfully calculated.