Marketing returns
Cost per Click Calculator
Calculate average advertising cost for each click using a consistent click definition and reporting window.
Use CPC for the cost of generating clicks. Use CPM for exposure pricing and CPA for the cost of a completed action.
What the result means
CPC is the average paid cost of a counted click. It does not show whether those clicks loaded the page, became qualified visitors, or generated profitable sales.
The formula
Advertising spend / eligible clicks
Results are displayed to at most two decimal places. Calculations use the unrounded inputs.
A worked example
Put the formula to work
- Advertising spend (currency)
- 900
- Eligible clicks (clicks)
- 600
CPC (input currency per click): 1.50
Advertising spend of 900 divided by 600 link clicks yields an average CPC of 1.50.
How to use this calculator
- Choose the click type that matches your campaign objective.
- Pair its click count with the same report's spend.
- Divide spend by clicks and compare downstream conversion quality separately.
Why this number matters
CPC helps distinguish an expensive traffic source from a landing-page conversion problem when acquisition costs rise.
Input definitions
- Advertising spend (currency)
- Spend associated with the exact campaign, placements, and period of the click count.
- Eligible clicks (clicks)
- Choose link clicks or another documented click definition; do not mix all-click and link-click reports. Must be greater than zero.
Assumptions and limitations
- Clicks are not necessarily unique visitors or completed page loads.
- Average CPC hides variation by keyword, device, and audience.
- Invalid-click adjustments and reporting delays may change exported totals.
Methodology
The default result and worked example use the same calculation functions as the interactive tool. The formula cannot verify the quality or scope of your source data.
Read our calculation methodology
Last updated .