Glossary: Cost per Click (CPC)

What is cost per click?

Cost per click (CPC) is the average amount paid for each eligible click on a paid ad or sponsored link. It measures the price of traffic acquisition, not whether the visitor connected a wallet, completed onboarding, or transacted.

How to calculate CPC

CPC = eligible ad spend ÷ eligible recorded clicks for the same campaign, platform, and period. State how spend and clicks are attributed, how invalid clicks are handled, and whether fees or taxes are included. Platform-reported clicks may differ from analytics sessions because of redirects, consent, ad blockers, and in-app browsers.

Use CPC with downstream outcomes

A low CPC can still produce poor acquisition if clicks do not become qualified visitors or active wallets. Pair CPC with landing-page conversion, wallet connection, activation, confirmed transactions, retention, and revenue. In crypto, distinguish a click from a wallet connection and from a successful onchain action.

Example

A campaign spends $2,000 and records 1,000 eligible clicks, giving a CPC of $2. If 80 wallets connect and 24 complete a confirmed swap, also report cost per connected wallet ($25) and cost per converted wallet (about $83) under the same attribution rules.

Common mistakes

Do not compare platform clicks against analytics sessions without aligning definitions. Avoid judging campaign quality from CPC alone, and keep currency, spend period, click eligibility, and attribution window consistent.

Related reading

Explore Marketing Analytics, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Conversion Rate, and Onchain Attribution.

FAQs

How is cost per click calculated?

Divide eligible ad spend by the number of recorded paid clicks for the same campaign and period.

Is CPC the same as cost per wallet?

No. CPC measures clicks; cost per wallet measures an acquisition outcome and requires a defined wallet or user identity rule.

Can every website visit be matched to an ad click?

No. Referrer loss, privacy controls, in-app browsers, and missing click IDs can prevent a complete match.