Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Design advertisers in Australia faced a year of pronounced swings in cost per click. Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Australia’s CPCs ran higher on average and moved in wider arcs, with sharp mid-year dips and late-year cool-downs defining the rhythm. September set the high-water mark, July marked a trough, and the overall path lifted meaningfully from January to December despite turbulence along the way. 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 Australia compared to the global benchmark.
Across 2025, CPC for the Design industry in Australia averaged 1.67, versus a 1.13 global average—about 47% higher. The year opened at 0.90 in January and closed at 1.56 in December, a 73% lift end to end.
The calendar shows a clear cadence. Q1 climbed steadily (avg 1.39) as engagement and budgets normalized post-holidays. Q2 was the most expensive quarter (avg 1.91), culminating in June’s pre-Q3 high. Q3 was the most uneven (avg 1.51), anchored by a dramatic July low and a September surge. Q4 stayed elevated at the start and then softened into the holidays (avg 1.86), with October and November holding near 2.00 before December eased to 1.56. This pattern aligns with typical seasonal pressures—rising competition into late Q2 and late Q3, then mixed dynamics in Q4 as auction intensity peaks and recedes.
Australia tracked above the global CPC nearly every month: 10 of 12 months cleared the worldwide median. The premium was widest in September (+158% vs. global) and June (+112%), remained sizable in October (+80%), and was narrowest in August (+14%). Only January (−19%) and July (−62%) undercut the global level. While the global trend was fairly steady across the year (−6% from January to December), Australia’s path was choppier and higher, ending the year markedly above where it started (+73%).
In short, Facebook Ads CPC trends for the Design industry in Australia were higher and markedly more volatile than the global benchmark, defined by a July trough, a September peak, and a moderate December finish. Understanding these CPC benchmarks—within the broader context of industry ad performance, country-specific ad costs, and complementary CPM analysis and CTR performance—helps clarify how Australia’s Design market compares to worldwide patterns.
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 Design industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. 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.
Late December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
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.
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
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
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