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CPC calculator
Cost per click is what you paid for your ads divided by the clicks they received: cost ÷ clicks. $1,200 for 800 clicks is a CPC of $1.50. Fill in any two values below and the calculator gives you the third.
By Alain Abulafya, founder of PPCleaner · Updated
PPCleaner
The cheapest click is the one you never pay for. PPCleaner blocks the Google Ads searches that were never going to buy, every night, before they cost you another click.
Start 7 days freeHow to calculate CPC
This gives your average CPC over a period. Google Ads shows it in the Avg. CPC column. To know what a click would cost on a keyword you don't buy yet, use the CPC checker, which reads Google's Keyword Planner data.
The maximum CPC you can afford
A click is worth what it brings in. If 1 click in 25 becomes a customer (a 4% conversion rate) and a customer brings $150 of margin, a click is worth 4% × $150 = $6. Paying more than $6 a click loses money.
The LTV and CAC calculator works this out from the lifetime value of a customer, which is the right figure when customers buy more than once.
How to lower your CPC
- Raise Quality Score: closer match between keyword, ad and landing page.
- Remove irrelevant searches: they don't change the price of a click, but they raise what each customer costs you, since you pay for clicks that never buy.
- Review bids by device, hour and location where your conversion rate is lower.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CPC?
One below the maximum CPC your conversion rate and margin can pay for. A $20 click is cheap if it converts at 10% on a $1,000 sale, and a $0.50 click is expensive if it never converts.
What is the difference between average CPC and max CPC?
Max CPC is the most you agree to pay for a click, set in your bids. Average CPC is what you actually paid: Google charges just enough to beat the next advertiser, so it is usually lower than your max.
Why did my CPC go up?
More advertisers on the same searches, a lower Quality Score, or a bidding strategy that targets more conversions. Look at the auction insights report to see who you compete with.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculation runs in your browser.