Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Marketing & Advertising clicks stayed consistently expensive across all countries, clearing the global benchmark every month and finishing the period on a renewed upswing. Median CPCs peaked in late 2024, reset in early Q1, softened into mid-year, and then lifted steadily through early Q4. The story is one of a premium category with choppier month‑to‑month movements than the broader market.
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 Marketing & Advertising across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Marketing & Advertising CPCs opened high at $2.41 in November 2024, dropped to $1.64 in December, and closed at $1.88 in October 2025. The year’s low came in July at $1.59, with a clear late‑year rebound: August ($1.63) to September ($1.85) to October ($1.88). Across the 12 months, CPC averaged $1.79, ranging from $1.59 to $2.41.
The biggest single move was the seasonal reset from November to December (−$0.77). After a calm Q1 (January–March hovered around $1.68–$1.77), CPCs climbed through Q2 (April–June, up $0.26 from April to May and a smaller step in June), dipped in July (−$0.28), and rebuilt across late Q3 and into October. Monthly volatility averaged 0.18 points, signaling sharper swings than the broader market.
Seasonality shows clearly: late‑Q4 carried the premium, Q1 stabilized at lower levels, Q2 saw a measured rebuild, Q3 was the softest stretch of 2025 (quarterly average near $1.69), and early Q4 re‑accelerated to the second‑highest level of the period ($1.88 in October). This rhythm aligns with typical auction dynamics, where competition intensifies at year‑end and engagement/costs recalibrate early in the new year.
Relative to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks across all industries, Marketing & Advertising CPCs were structurally higher and more volatile. The category’s 12‑month average was $1.79 versus the global $1.14—about 56% higher. The gap was narrowest in December (+28%) and widest in October (+79%), with most months running 40–60% above market. The premium expanded through late 2025 as industry costs rose while the global benchmark stayed subdued.
Trend shape also diverged. The global CPC slid gently from November 2024 ($1.46) to October 2025 (~$1.05), with low volatility (~0.05 points average monthly change). Marketing & Advertising moved in waves: a steep Q4 reset, mid‑year softness, then a pronounced Q3–Q4 lift, with roughly 4x the monthly movement seen in the baseline.
Overall, CPC trends for the Marketing & Advertising industry across all countries show consistently higher country-specific ad costs and greater month‑to‑month movement than the global benchmark, with a clear late‑year resurgence. Understanding Facebook Ads cost‑per‑click benchmarks for the Marketing & Advertising industry across all countries helps advertisers evaluate CPC trends and compare industry ad performance to global 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 Marketing & Advertising 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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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:
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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
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Cost per lead across different markets
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