Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The Arts category in Italy ran structurally cheaper clicks than the global market and moved with sharper swings. Median CPC started the year near 0.54, held steady through March, then reset lower in late spring, surged into October, and fell to a December low before rebounding in January. Relative to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Italy’s CPC trends were consistently below market and more volatile, with an atypical October pop versus the global November spike. 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 Arts in Italy compared to the global benchmark.
The rhythm split into distinct chapters. Q1 was remarkably stable and above the Italy average, followed by a spring reset that pulled CPC to the year’s lower tier by May. Summer brought a measured recovery into July, then softer engagement pricing in late summer. October delivered the standout upswing, after which Q4 turned progressively cheaper, with the deepest discount in December and a January rebound. Globally, CPC trends were steadier through most of 2025, typically lifting into Q4 before easing in December and January.
Italy’s Arts CPC undercut the global benchmark all year. The gap was narrowest in late winter and midsummer (around 52% below global in February and July) and widest in December (about 82% below). Where the global curve held near 1.10–1.15 from January to October and peaked in November (1.316) before sliding to December (1.052) and January (0.846), Italy peaked earlier (October for the local spike versus November globally) and dropped harder into year-end. Over the full window, Italy declined by 29%, while the global benchmark fell about 25%. Italy’s higher volatility and deeper Q4 low mark a more turbulent profile than the global CPC trend.
Understanding Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for the Arts industry in Italy—set against global CPC trends, CPM analysis context, and complementary CTR performance—helps clarify country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance relative to the broader market.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Arts industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting Italy, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas & post‑Christmas sales (late December), Ferragosto (mid‑August) summer tourism, Back‑to‑school (September)
CPM and CPC might increase during spring holidays when Italians engage in travel or leisure. Ferragosto may see travel and hospitality ads face high competition while retail CPMs dip. Late November and December see ad demand surges. 'Ponte' long weekends could affect ad pacing with stronger performance on adjacent weekdays.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
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