Cost per click is the average amount you pay each time someone clicks on your social media ad.
Definition
Cost per click is the average amount you pay each time someone clicks on your social media ad. It's a key metric for measuring the efficiency of paid campaigns.
CPC = Total Ad Spend / Total Clicks
If you spend $500 on a Facebook ad campaign and get 250 clicks, your CPC is $2.00.
$0.50-$2
Average
$2-$7
Average
TikTok
$0.20-$1
Average
$1-$3
Average
CPC directly impacts your advertising budget and ROI. Lower CPCs mean you can drive more traffic with the same budget. Understanding CPC by platform, audience, and ad type helps you allocate spend where it's most efficient.
A B2B brand runs LinkedIn ads to promote a whitepaper download. They spend $2,000 and get 400 clicks — a CPC of $5.00. On Facebook, the same campaign generates 800 clicks for $1,500 — a CPC of $1.88. However, LinkedIn leads convert at 3x the rate, making the higher CPC worthwhile.
Key Takeaway: The cheapest click is rarely the best click — always evaluate CPC alongside conversion rate and customer lifetime value.
Average CPCs vary wildly: $0.50-$2.00 on Facebook, $2.00-$7.00 on LinkedIn, $0.20-$1.00 on TikTok.
Improving ad relevance and CTR is the best way to lower CPC — platforms reward ads that users engage with.
Don't optimize for lowest CPC alone. A $5 click that converts is worth more than a $0.50 click that bounces.
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Cost Per Mille (CPM)
Cost per mille (CPM) is the cost of 1,000 ad impressions.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on ad spend measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate is the percentage of people who click on a link, button, or call-to-action after seeing your content.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action — such as signing up, making a purchase, or downloading a resource — after clicking through from social media.
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