Enter what you spent and the clicks you got for your average cost per click. Add impressions to see the CTR and CPM that produced it.
Optional. Adds CTR and CPM.
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CPC = ad spend ÷ clicks. $3,000 for 1,200 clicks is a $2.50 average CPC. Add impressions and the same numbers give a 2% CTR and a $50 CPM.
On Google Ads your maximum bid is a ceiling, not the price. In the auction you pay about what it takes to hold your position over the next advertiser, and that price falls as your Quality Score rises. Two advertisers bidding the same keyword can pay very different CPCs because one has the more relevant ad and landing page.
Smart Bidding strategies such as Maximize Conversions and Target CPA set the bid for each auction, so average CPC becomes an output to watch rather than a dial you set.
CPC tracks what a customer is worth to the advertisers bidding. Legal, insurance and B2B software keywords routinely cost tens of dollars a click because one client or contract is worth thousands. Retail and travel clicks often cost a dollar or two. The Google Ads cost guide on this site breaks it down by industry.
Raise Quality Score with tighter ad groups and landing pages that match the query. Add negative keywords for the searches that click and never convert. Move budget toward the match types and audiences with the best cost per conversion, not the lowest CPC, because a cheap click that never converts is the most expensive kind.