Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The Marketing & Advertising industry runs hot on Facebook Ads CPCs, and that heat shows up clearly when viewed against the global benchmark. Across all countries, CPCs for Marketing & Advertising sat well above market levels all year, with a sharp spike at the end of 2024, a mid-2025 trough, and a steady rebuild into Q4 2025. Volatility was also notably higher than the global trend, with several pronounced swings around midyear. 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.
CPCs for Marketing & Advertising started high at $2.29 in November 2024 before resetting to $1.60 in December (−30%). From there, the market found a steadier band: January to March 2025 held between $1.67 and $1.77, April eased to $1.60, and then May brought a notable lift to $1.86 (+16% vs. April). June edged slightly down to $1.83, followed by the year’s low in July at $1.50 (−18% vs. June). A late-summer rebuild took hold—$1.66 in August and $1.83 in September—before stabilizing at $1.82–$1.84 through October and November 2025.
Across the 13 months, Marketing & Advertising CPCs averaged $1.77, ranging from a low of $1.50 (July) to a high of $2.29 (November 2024). Average monthly movement was $0.17—about 9% of the average—driven by outsized shifts in November to December (−$0.70), April to May (+$0.26), and June to July (−$0.33). Year over year (November to November), CPCs declined from $2.29 to $1.84, a 20% drop.
Seasonally, the data shows a familiar end-of-year surge followed by a December reset. Early 2025 held steady, with a modest lift across late spring (May–June), a midsummer trough in July, and a gradual regain into early Q4. Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1; here, the Marketing & Advertising category instead held a relatively stable plateau across October–November 2025 around $1.83–$1.84.
Compared to the global benchmark (all industries, all countries), Marketing & Advertising CPCs ran consistently above market. The category averaged $1.77 versus the global $1.15—about 53% higher. The gap narrowed to its smallest in December 2024 (+25% above market) and widened to its largest in September 2025 (+75%). Globally, CPCs fell from $1.44 in November 2024 to a $1.05 low in September 2025 before jumping to $1.27 in November (+17% month over month). By contrast, the Marketing & Advertising category saw only a modest October-to-November uptick (+1%), reflecting a steadier Q4 plateau. Volatility was also higher in the category: average monthly moves were roughly $0.17 versus $0.06 globally—about three times choppier. Over the period, the category’s November-to-November decline (−20%) outpaced the global drop (−12%).
In short, Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for the Marketing & Advertising industry across all countries show elevated costs versus the global baseline, sharper midyear swings, and a steady late-year plateau. These CPC trends, viewed alongside broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis, and CTR performance context, help quantify country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance relative 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 lead across different markets
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