CPC (Cost per Click)

What is CPC?

CPC (Cost per Click) is the average price paid for each click generated by an ad campaign. Platforms like Meta Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads and TikTok Ads run on automated auctions where you can pay per click, per thousand impressions (CPM) or per conversion.

Paying per click is attractive when the goal is traffic: you pay only if the user actually clicks.

How to calculate

CPC = Total spend / Number of clicks

If you spent R$ 1,500 and got 1,200 clicks, average CPC is R$ 1.25.

Brazil benchmarks (2026)

• Meta Ads (e-commerce): R$ 0.80 to R$ 2.50
• Meta Ads (B2B services): R$ 1.50 to R$ 5.00
• Google Search (generic keywords): R$ 1.00 to R$ 4.00
• Google Search (finance/legal): R$ 8.00 to R$ 30.00
• LinkedIn Ads: R$ 4.00 to R$ 12.00
• TikTok Ads: R$ 0.40 to R$ 1.80

Practical example

An English school runs two campaigns on Meta Ads:

• Campaign A — broad audience: R$ 3,000 spent, 2,400 clicks → CPC R$ 1.25
• Campaign B — interest-targeted audience: R$ 3,000 spent, 1,800 clicks → CPC R$ 1.67

At first glance, Campaign A wins. But looking at conversions:

• Campaign A: 12 enrollments → CPA R$ 250
• Campaign B: 22 enrollments → CPA R$ 136

A higher CPC is not a problem if the traffic quality is better. That's why CPC should never be optimized in isolation.

How to lower CPC

• Improve CTR: more attractive creatives reduce CPC in the auction
• Tighten targeting: a more qualified audience yields more relevant clicks
• Test formats: Reels and vertical videos usually have lower CPC than static
• Refresh creatives every 2 to 3 weeks to avoid fatigue
• Optimize the landing page (relevance and speed impact the auction)

Common mistakes

• Chasing low CPC at any cost, attracting low-quality clicks.
• Not tracking CPA alongside.
• Comparing CPC across very different industries (healthcare and fashion play in different leagues).
• Ignoring seasonal competition (Black Friday inflates CPC by up to 80%).