Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Global CPCs told a clear two-act story this year: a soft landing into summer followed by a sharp Q4 spike and an equally sharp reset. Against that backdrop, the Netherlands’ Public Administration segment did not meet our reporting threshold this period, so no country-specific monthly medians are available. Still, the global benchmark frames the environment Public Administration advertisers in the Netherlands likely navigated: steadier costs in the first half, a late-year surge, and a December cooldown.
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 the Netherlands compared to the global benchmark.
On a global basis, Facebook Ads CPCs averaged about $1.13 over the period, ranging from a low of $1.05 in December 2025 to a high of $1.30 in November. The year opened after a pricier December 2024 ($1.28), dropped to $1.12 in January 2025, and hovered in a tight $1.13–$1.14 band through March–May. From there, costs eased, touching $1.07–$1.10 across June–August, and finding a local low of $1.07 in September.
Then came the inflection: October lifted to $1.10, November spiked to $1.30 (about 15% above the annual average), and December retraced to $1.05 (around 7% below average and 18% lower than the prior December). Across the 13-month window, average monthly movement was roughly $0.07 per click, or about 6%—generally calm, punctuated by outsized swings into and out of November.
Key beats:
Seasonality followed familiar patterns. CPCs softened through Q3, with the quarter averaging ~$1.08—the lowest of the year—after steadier Q1 (~$1.13) and Q2 (~$1.12). Q4 lifted to ~$1.15 on the strength of November’s surge, before a notable December reset. This rhythm aligns with typical auction pressure: steadier early-year pricing, summer softness, and late-year intensity. The data also shows “calm corridors” (March–May) contrasted by more pronounced pivots around November–December.
For Public Administration in the Netherlands, no monthly medians were published for this timeframe, so a direct country-versus-global gap cannot be quantified. The global CPC benchmark—$1.13 on average, with a 22% peak-to-trough span—provides the clearest directional reference. In practical terms of industry ad performance, that implies a market oscillating within a relatively tight band most months, with heavier variance clustered late in the year. Without country-specific ad costs for the Netherlands segment, relative positioning (above market, below average, more or less volatile) remains unobserved rather than measured.
Understanding Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for Public Administration in the Netherlands—viewed against the global CPC trends—highlights a year defined by mid-year softness, a November price crest, and a December reset. These CPC trends offer a grounded frame for comparing country-specific ad costs and CTR performance discussions, even when local medians are unavailable.
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 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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