See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
June 2025 - June 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Design category cost-per-lead (CPL) trends in All countries stayed well above the overall benchmark and moved with sharp, episodic swings rather than a steady drift. Across the 12 months from June 2025 to May 2026, average Design CPL sat near $150 — more than three times the comparable global baseline. Volatility was the dominant theme: a large January spike and several mid-year reversals made the series jumpy month-to-month. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Design in All countries compared to the global benchmark.
Design Cost per Lead began the period at about $154 in June 2025 and closed near $104 in May 2026. The 12‑month average was roughly $150, with a low of about $60 in November and a peak near $482 in January 2026. Monthly swings were large: the average absolute month-to-month change was roughly $112, with a standard-deviation-level volatility near $107 — a dramatic contrast with the baseline. By comparison, the global benchmark averaged about $46.6 over the same months (range roughly $40.6–$53.8). Month-to-month narrative points: July and August dipped into the $80–$92 range, September and April pushed above $180, December rose to about $126, and January produced a pronounced outlier at $482, followed by a steep retreat into the $100s in February–May.
Seasonality shows a mixed rhythm: late summer softness (July–August) gave way to a September lift, then a Q4 trough (October–November) before a year-end rebound in December. The calendar turned sharply in early Q1 with the January spike that towers over other months, then a corrective fall in February and a secondary rise through March–April. In raw terms, Q4 (Oct–Nov–Dec) moved from low $70s into mid $120s, suggesting compressed movement inside that quarter, while Q1 delivered the largest single-month deviation of the year. These patterns align with common seasonal cycles where competition and campaign pacing can change across quarters.
Viewed against the baseline, Design CPL in All countries was consistently above market levels — often substantially so. The gap ranged from modest (about 25% higher in November) to extreme (January’s near‑tenfold jump, roughly 875% above the global monthly benchmark). On average the Design CPL ran about 220% higher than the global reference. Volatility comparisons are stark: Design’s average monthly swing (~$112) dwarfs the baseline’s average monthly change (~$3), making Design not just costlier but far more variable month to month.
Understanding Cost Per Lead benchmarks for the Design industry across All countries — and how they diverge from broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis and other CTR performance signals — offers a clear view of industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs versus global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Design industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
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