Cost per click is a paid-search metric that also serves as a proxy for the commercial value of an organic keyword. High CPCs indicate advertisers are willing to spend on that intent, which almost always means the query converts.
How it is calculated
CPC is set by an auction that considers advertiser bids, quality score, and ad rank. Reported CPC values are historical averages from Google Ads, not real-time auction prices.
Example
"Mesothelioma lawyer" has a reported CPC above USD 200 because the lifetime value of a converted client is measured in six figures. "Recipe for banana bread" has a CPC near zero because the query rarely converts to a sale.
How SEM Optimiser reports it
CPC is always shown with the currency code and the country the value applies to. SEM Optimiser never assumes USD.
Related terms
- Search Volume
Search volume is the average number of times a specific query is searched per month in a given country and language.
- Keyword Intent
Keyword intent is the classification of a search query by what the user is trying to accomplish, typically informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional.
- Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a website who complete a defined goal, such as a purchase, sign-up, or lead form.
- Keyword Difficulty
Keyword difficulty is a 0-to-100 score that estimates how hard it is for a website to rank in the top ten organic results for a given search query.