Metrics & KPIs

CPC

Cost Per Click — what you pay each time someone clicks your ad. A function of CPM and CTR: CPC = CPM / (CTR × 10).

CPC tells you how much you're paying to get a person onto your site. Unlike CPM, it already incorporates how engaging your ad is (via CTR). A healthy CPC on Meta in 2026 ranges from $0.50 to $1.80 for direct-response ecommerce; on TikTok it's typically $0.30-$1.00.

High CPC isn't always bad. If you're running a premium product at $150 AOV and your CPC is $2.50 but conversion rate is 3.5%, the CPA works out fine. Low-AOV stores need low CPCs; high-AOV stores can absorb them.

A sudden doubling of CPC without a CPM change means your CTR collapsed — usually a sign that creative burned out or you're showing the same ad to the same people too many times (frequency problem).

Related terms in Metrics & KPIs
AOV
Average Order Value — the average dollar amount a customer spends per transaction. Total revenue divided by number of orders.
AOV Lift
The increase in Average Order Value produced by a specific tactic — bundles, upsells, order bumps, quantity discounts. Every dollar of AOV lift compounds against ad spend.
ATC
Add to Cart — the tracked event when a visitor adds an item to their cart. ATC-to-purchase ratio is a powerful diagnostic of checkout friction.
Attach Rate
The percentage of orders that include a secondary item — typically an upsell, bundle, or order bump. Every 10% of attach rate is ~4-6% of AOV lift.
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