Back to all glossary articles

Cost per click (CPC) / effective cost per click (eCPC)

Cost per click (CPC) is the price an advertiser pays to a publisher for each click on their ad. The CPC is calculated with the following formula:

CPC = total cost of campaign ÷ number of clicks

CPC rates mitigate the risk for advertisers as they only pay when their ad actually gets clicked. The cost depends on either targeting high-demand audiences or popular key phrases on Google.

eCPC means effective cost per click and is used to show what the CPC would have been if the advertiser purchased clicks instead of impressions or conversions.

Read more about CPC on Piwik PRO blog:

  • PHI and PII

    HIPAA violations and fines: What healthcare organizations need to know

    Quick summary HIPAA violations happen when a covered entity or business associate fails to meet the HIPAA Privacy, Security or Breach Notification Rule. Civil penalties range from a few hundred dollars to more than $2 million per violation, set across four tiers based on how much the organization knew.  What this guide covers: HIPAA violation…

  • The EDPB’s new data anonymization guidelines: what they mean for your analytics data

    Removing names, cookies and IP addresses is no longer enough to anonymize data. Here’s what the 2026 EDPB framework actually requires for anonymous data collection, what’s still unresolved, and how to configure your analytics to stay compliant while keeping the full view of traffic marketers rely on.

Other definitions

Recent posts from Piwik PRO blog