CPC Calculator
Cost per click, per lead, per acquisition or per order from your ad spend and the count, or the budget a target number of results needs, with click-through and conversion rates when you add the counts.
Result…
How it's calculated
Cost per result = ad spend ÷ number of results CPC = spend ÷ clicks; conversion rate = results ÷ clicks × 100 CTR = clicks ÷ impressions × 100; CPM = spend ÷ impressions × 1,000 Budget = target results × cost per result
Cost per click (CPC), cost per lead (CPL), cost per acquisition (CPA) and cost per order are the same division: what you spent on ads divided by how many of that result you got. They differ only in what you count. CPC measures the price of traffic; CPL and CPA measure the price of the outcome you actually want, so they include how well the landing page converts. Turned around, the cost per result times the number you want gives a first budget. Use your own figures: costs vary by platform, country, audience, season and industry. CPM is the price of 1,000 impressions, the cost of reach before anyone clicks.
Your numbers, step by step
About the CPC calculator
This CPC calculator divides ad spend by a count to give the cost of each result: cost per click (CPC), cost per lead (CPL), cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per order. Add clicks and impressions and it also works out the conversion rate from clicks to results, the click-through rate and the CPM. Switch to the budget mode to go the other way: enter how many leads, customers or orders you want and what each one costs you, and it gives the budget, a daily budget and, with a conversion rate, the clicks you need. Marketers, agencies, shop owners and anyone running search or social ads can use it to compare campaigns, check a platform report or plan next month. You enter your own figures, and every answer shows the division it came from.
How to use it
- Choose what to “Find”: the “Cost per result” for a campaign you ran, or the “Budget for a target”.
- Pick the “Result” you count: a click, a lead, an acquisition or an order.
- Enter the “Ad spend” and the “Number of results”, or the “Target number of results” and the “Cost per result”.
- Add “Clicks (optional)” and “Impressions (optional)” to see the conversion rate, click-through rate and CPM, or leave them at 0.
- Read the cost per result and compare it with what each result is worth to you.
Worked example
A campaign spends 1,800 and brings 90 leads from 1,500 clicks and 60,000 impressions. Cost per lead = 1,800 ÷ 90 = 20. Cost per click = 1,800 ÷ 1,500 = 1.20. Conversion rate = 90 ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 6%. Click-through rate = 1,500 ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 2.5%, and CPM = 1,800 ÷ 60,000 × 1,000 = 30.
Updated
Questions people ask
How do I calculate cost per click?
Divide what you spent on the ads by the number of clicks they got. Spending 500 for 400 clicks is a CPC of 1.25.
What is the formula for cost per lead or cost per acquisition?
The same division with a different count: ad spend ÷ leads for CPL, ad spend ÷ new customers or sales for CPA. Only what you count changes.
How much ad budget do I need for a number of leads?
Multiply the leads you want by your cost per lead. For 200 leads at 12.50 each you need 2,500. Costs often rise as you spend more, so test with part of the budget first.
What is a good CPC?
There is no single good figure: it depends on the platform, country, industry and what a click is worth to you. A CPC is good when the cost per lead or order it leads to stays below the profit each one brings; the ROAS calculator checks that against revenue.
Why does my cost per result differ between tools?
Each ad platform and analytics tool counts clicks and conversions in its own way, over its own attribution window. Compare costs only between figures counted the same way, and see the conversion rate calculator for the step from visits to results.
How is CPC different from CPM?
CPC is the price of a click; CPM is the price of 1,000 impressions, whether anyone clicks or not. The CPM calculator works with impressions alone.