Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Against the global Facebook Ads benchmark, cost-per-click spent most of 2025 easing lower, found a clear trough at the end of Q3, then surged into a pronounced November spike before settling back in December. The overall story is one of moderate costs, punctuated by a sharp Q4 swing. 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 the Legal industry in the Netherlands compared to the global benchmark.
A note on coverage: the dataset contains no recorded monthly medians for Legal in the Netherlands during this window, so the comparison leans on the global curve as the directional reference for CPC trends and country-specific ad costs.
Globally, Facebook Ads CPC averaged about $1.14 across December 2024 to December 2025. The year opened at $1.27 in December 2024, dipped to $1.13–$1.14 through February–May, and then slid to a low of $1.07–$1.10 across June–September. The absolute low landed in September at $1.07. From there, CPCs climbed to $1.11 in October and spiked to the annual high of $1.32 in November before retracing to $1.12 in December 2025. End to end, CPCs finished roughly 12% below where they began (from $1.27 to $1.12).
Volatility was contained for most of the year, with an average absolute month-to-month move of about $0.06, or roughly 5% of the annual mean. The largest single-month movements bookended the peak season: +$0.22 from October to November, then −$0.20 from November to December. The full-year range spanned $0.26 (from $1.07 to $1.32), about 24% of the average.
The rhythm followed a classic pattern: softer costs early in the year, a gentle mid-year plateau, a Q3 trough, and a Q4 surge. January opened significantly below December (−$0.14), signaling a pullback after holiday competition. From February through July, CPCs hovered in a tight $1.08–$1.14 band, indicating steady demand and pricing. September marked the low point at $1.07, after which costs lifted into October and accelerated sharply in November to $1.32. December then reset lower, giving back most of the November spike while still landing close to the annual average.
Because there are no observed monthly medians for the Legal industry in the Netherlands during this period, a direct country-versus-global gap cannot be quantified. In the absence of localized readings, the global Facebook Ads benchmarks provide the directional context: an average CPC near $1.14, a September low near $1.07, a November high at $1.32, and average month-to-month changes around six cents. This global shape—Q3 softness and a sharp Q4 lift—frames the likely seasonal environment for industry ad performance even when country-level readings are unavailable.
In summary, Facebook Ads CPC trends show a moderate-cost year with a distinct Q3 trough and a short, sharp Q4 peak. While Legal in the Netherlands lacks a reported monthly series for this window, the global CPC benchmark offers a clear reference for understanding country-specific ad costs and seasonality. Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for the Legal industry in the Netherlands helps contextualize CPC trends alongside the global pattern and complements broader CPM analysis and CTR performance benchmarks.
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 Legal industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting Netherlands, 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–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas and Boxing Day sales), Spring holidays (April–June tourism)
CPM and CPC might rise during spring holiday cluster when travel and leisure ads see elevated engagement. Liberation Day (May 5) is mandatory national holiday—ad inventory might shrink. Ad competition increases in late December for holiday promotions. Few summer holidays mean more consistent campaign performance through summer.
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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