What is CPC?
Cost Per Click: what you pay for each click on your ad.
More details
CPC is the basic metric for paid campaigns. You want the lowest possible CPC with the highest possible quality of click traffic. CPC is determined by competition on the keyword, your Quality Score and your bid. A low CPC is good, but only if the clicks actually convert.
For example…
The average cost per click on Google Search in 2026 was $5.42, but that average hides more than it shows. Arts & Entertainment pays $1.63 per click and restaurants $2.05, while lawyers pay $9.87 and dentists $8.00. The higher the value of a single customer, the more a click can cost. Steering on a low CPC alone often brings in cheap clicks that do not convert.
Source: wordstream.comRelated terms