CPC is what you pay on average for each ad click. Enter cost and clicks for your CPC, see how many clicks a budget buys, or find the most you can pay and still break even.
Your CPC
$3.00
You paid $3.00 on average for each click.
Sample numbers shown. Type over them with yours.
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Divide your total ad cost by the number of clicks. $1,200 spent for 400 clicks is a CPC of $3.00. In Google Ads, your max CPC is the most you’ll pay for a click, and you often pay less. This calculator gives your average across every click in the period.
A hypothetical B2B team spends $1,200 on search ads and gets 400 clicks. 3% of clicks turn into qualified leads, and each lead is worth $120 of profit.
At $3.00 a click the campaign earns more than it costs. Above $3.60 it would start to lose money.
A good CPC is below what a click earns you. As a market reference, WordStream’s 2026 median for search ads is $5.42, from $1.63 in arts to $9.87 in legal services. Facebook traffic campaigns run at $0.60. LinkedIn single image ads sit near $13, and Thought Leader Ads at $2.29.
| Channel and segment | Median CPC |
|---|---|
| Search ads, all industriesWordStream by LocaliQ | $5.42 |
| Search ads, Attorneys & Legal Services (highest)WordStream by LocaliQ | $9.87 |
| Search ads, Home & Home ImprovementWordStream by LocaliQ | $8.33 |
| Search ads, Business ServicesWordStream by LocaliQ | $5.87 |
| Search ads, Finance & InsuranceWordStream by LocaliQ | $3.39 |
| Search ads, Arts & Entertainment (lowest)WordStream by LocaliQ | $1.63 |
| Facebook traffic campaignsWordStream by LocaliQ | $0.60 |
| Facebook lead campaignsWordStream by LocaliQ | $1.80 |
| LinkedIn single image ads, B2BZenABM | $13.23 |
| LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads, B2BZenABM | $2.29 |
| LinkedIn video ads, B2BZenABM | $15.61 |
WordStream’s search figures cover Google and Microsoft Ads in the US. ZenABM’s cover 211 B2B companies in 29 countries, so they won’t match a US-only account.
CPC stands for cost per click. It’s the amount you pay when someone clicks your ad. Platforms show it two ways: the average you actually paid across all clicks, and the maximum bid you set. If you spend $500 and get 250 clicks, your average CPC is $2.00.
Max CPC is the highest bid you set for a click, and CPC is what you end up paying. Google says you’ll typically pay less than your max, and a click won’t cost more than it. So a $5 max CPC can produce a $3.40 average CPC in your reports.
Multiply the profit from one conversion by your conversion rate. If a sale earns $120 of profit and 3% of clicks convert, each click is worth $3.60, and that’s your break-even CPC. Bid below it, because you still want profit left over. The third tab above does this sum.
CPC rises when many advertisers bid on the same searches or audiences, which is why legal and home services top the table above. Broad targeting also pulls in clicks at prices that don’t match the value. Check your search terms report first, then remove the expensive queries that never convert.
Neither is better on its own, because they answer different questions. CPC suits campaigns where the click is the goal, such as search ads. CPM suits reach and awareness, where seeing the ad is the point. You can compare them by working out the CPC a CPM campaign gives you at your click-through rate.
A break-even CPC needs real conversion data behind it. Our Google Ads conversion tracking work gets you that at a fixed price.
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<p style="font-size:13px">Free tool by <a href="https://www.martechdevs.com/tools/cpc-calculator">martechdevs</a></p>Last updated
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