Cost Per Click (CPC) Calculator

How it is calculated

Enter total ad spend and total clicks for the same campaign set and the same dates. The tool divides: CPC = spend / clicks and shows the answer in US dollars, rounded to cents. Because it divides totals, it is a spend-weighted blended average, not a simple average of individual ad or keyword CPCs.

Clicks must be greater than zero, otherwise there is no result. A spend of zero returns $0.00. The tool uses the numbers exactly as typed and does not convert currencies, so enter spend in one currency and read the result in that same currency even though the symbol shown is a dollar sign. Clicks should be the clicks you were billed for, so invalid or filtered clicks that the platform did not charge should be left out.

Common mistakes

• Mixing periods or campaigns, for example this month's spend with last month's clicks. The numerator and denominator must cover exactly the same set.
• Averaging the CPCs of several ad groups instead of dividing total spend by total clicks. A cheap group with few clicks would then distort the figure.
• Using impressions or sessions in place of clicks. Impressions give CPM-style numbers, and analytics sessions are usually fewer than ad clicks.
• Treating a low CPC as success by itself. A cheap click that never converts costs more per customer than a pricier click that does; divide CPC by the conversion rate to get the cost per acquisition.
• Including spend outside the click-based buying model, such as agency fees or creative costs, and then calling the result the platform CPC.