Glossary
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Cost per click, or CPC, is the average amount you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
Formula
CPC = ad spend ÷ clicks
Example
Spending $600 for 400 clicks is a CPC of $1.50.
How to read it
CPC varies a lot by city and industry. See real ranges on our location pages.
Why it matters
CPC varies widely by industry and city. See real ranges on our location pages. What matters most is what those clicks turn into.
Common mistakes
- Chasing the cheapest clicks instead of the right ones.
- Bidding on broad keywords that bring the wrong searches.
- Judging campaigns on CPC alone.
How to improve CPC
- Improve ad relevance and Quality Score.
- Add negative keywords to block wasted searches.
- Target the searches that convert, not the broadest ones.
- Test Facebook and Instagram for cheaper reach.
Sources: Google Ads Help: Cost-per-click (CPC)
Related: Ad costs by city
Related terms
Click-Through Rate (CTR)Click-through rate, or CTR, is the percentage of people who click your ad after seeing it.Cost Per Lead (CPL)Cost per lead, or CPL, is how much you spend on ads to get one lead.Quality Score (Google Ads)Quality Score is Google's 1 to 10 rating of how relevant your keyword, ad and landing page are to the people searching.