Glossary/Measurement & Attribution/Cost Per Click (CPC)
Measurement & Attribution
Cost Per Click (CPC)
The amount an advertiser pays for each click on an ad.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
Cost per click (CPC) is the amount an advertiser pays for each click on an ad. It serves both as a pricing model, common in search and social advertising auctions, and as a metric calculated by dividing total spend by clicks. CPC alone does not show whether clicks lead to valuable outcomes.