Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Cost-per-click for the Construction industry in South Africa opens with an extreme contrast to the global market: a January 2025 median of 0.0098 versus the worldwide benchmark of 1.12. It reads as an ultra-low entry point at a moment when the global series was relatively stable before a Q4 surge and an early-2026 reset. The global benchmark shows moderate month-to-month movement most of the year, punctuated by sharp swings in November through January. 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 Construction in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
The South Africa print we have—January 2025 at 0.0098—sits roughly 99% below the global level for the same month (1.12). With only a single local observation, the narrative rests largely on how the global market moved around it. Globally, CPC averaged about 1.11 across January 2025 to January 2026, with a 2025 calendar-year average of 1.13. The series started at 1.12 in January 2025, lifted into late spring, eased through summer, then spiked in November before resetting into December and January.
Highs and lows are clear: the global peak landed in November 2025 at 1.32, while the trough arrived in January 2026 at 0.85. From the first to the last point, the benchmark fell about 25% (1.12 to 0.85). Average absolute monthly movement was 0.07 points, but volatility concentrated in Q4: October to November jumped +0.19, then November to December fell −0.26, with another −0.21 in December to January.
The global rhythm fits a familiar pattern for Facebook Ads benchmarks. Early 2025 showed small, steady lifts (February to May hovered around 1.13–1.15). Mid-year softened gently: June to September ranged from 1.09 to 1.13, a flat, efficient pocket by global standards. Q4 brought the competitive spike, with CPC rising to 1.32 in November before pulling back to 1.05 in December. The typical post-holiday cooldown extended into January 2026, registering the series low at 0.85.
For South Africa’s Construction category, the single January 2025 reading doesn’t yet establish seasonality locally, but it slots into this timeline against a global market that tightened into spring, steadied in summer, and surged in November.
On the only overlapping month, South Africa’s Construction CPC was approximately 0.01, versus 1.12 globally—about 99% below the benchmark. Even when stacked against the global low point (0.85 in January 2026), the South Africa value would still sit roughly 99% lower. In other words, the observed gap is consistently extreme regardless of which month in the global series it’s compared against. While the global curve shows orderly seasonality plus a pronounced Q4 spike, South Africa provides a single, ultra-low snapshot—well below market at that moment in time.
Taken together, these CPC trends position the Construction industry in South Africa as a profound outlier versus the global benchmark in January 2025, while the worldwide series follows a familiar arc of steady mid-year costs and Q4 escalation. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click in the Construction sector in South Africa provides a clear reference point for country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance relative to global CPC trends.
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 Construction industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting South Africa, 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), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
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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