Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The clearest story in the numbers is a globally steady cost-per-click that held its line for most of the year, then spiked in November before resetting sharply into January. Against that baseline, India’s Public Administration segment has no reported monthly medians in this window, so the comparison centers on the global Facebook Ads benchmarks as a directional proxy. The signal is still useful: CPC trends were calm through late Q3, surged in Q4, and then eased to a multi-month low at the turn of the year.
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 Public Administration in India compared to the global benchmark.
Globally, median CPC averaged $1.11 across the period. The series opened at $1.12 in January 2025 and closed at $0.85 in January 2026, a 25% decline end to end. Through October, CPCs stayed in a tight band between $1.09 and $1.15: February ($1.13), March ($1.14), April ($1.13), May (the pre-peak high at $1.15), and September ($1.09) all clustered closely.
Two moves shaped the year’s arc. First, a November surge to $1.32—the period high and roughly 19% above the full-period average—pushed CPCs well above the prior range. Second, a two-step correction followed: December pulled back to $1.05 (−20% vs. November), and January 2026 fell further to $0.85 (−20% vs. December), the period low and about 24% beneath the average.
Volatility, measured as average absolute month-to-month change, was $0.07 per click. Most months shifted by just 1–3 cents, with the sharpest moves concentrated in Q4 and early Q1: +$0.19 in October-to-November, −$0.26 in November-to-December, and −$0.21 in December-to-January. Peak-to-trough, the series fell 36% from November’s $1.32 to January’s $0.85.
Seasonally, the pattern aligns with familiar auction pressure. Q1 and Q2 hovered around $1.13 on average, Q3 eased to roughly $1.11, and Q4 lifted to about $1.16 due to November’s step-up. Performance typically tightens into the holidays as competition rises, with CPCs easing in late December and early Q1 as demand normalizes—precisely the rhythm observed here, culminating in the January 2026 low.
For Public Administration in India, monthly medians were not available in the period, so a precise country-vs-global CPC discount or premium cannot be quantified. As a result, the global curve serves as the reference: broadly stable costs through October, a pronounced Q4 acceleration, and a reset into January. No evidence of divergence or excess volatility specific to India’s Public Administration segment can be established from this dataset.
In the absence of reported local medians, the Facebook Ads benchmarks here provide a clear directional view of CPC trends: steady costs for most of the year, a November spike, and a softer start to the new year. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for the Public Administration industry in India within this global context helps frame country-specific ad costs and situate industry ad performance relative to worldwide CPC trends, CPM analysis touchpoints, and broader CTR performance 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 Public Administration industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting India, 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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October (Diwali), Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas), July–August (Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi)
CPMs might spike significantly during Diwali, especially in electronics, apparel, jewellery, and gifts. Black Friday/Cyber Monday and December could drive elevated ad competition. State-specific festivals might see regional campaign spikes. Bank closures during holidays may push online shopping to cluster in end-of-week periods.
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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