Cost per link click is how much you pay, on average, for each click that actually takes someone from an ad to your website. On Meta (Facebook and Instagram) it's called CPC (cost per link click); Pinterest calls the same idea cost per outbound click. Different names, same question: what does it cost to get one real visitor through the door?
It's a metric — a number you measure — as opposed to a dimension, which is a category you slice numbers by (like country or device). Worth keeping straight, because dashboards are full of both.
The Formula, in Human Terms
Cost per link click = amount spent ÷ link clicks
Spend €200 on a campaign that generates 400 link clicks → your cost per link click is €0.50. Each visitor who actually arrived at your site cost you fifty cents.
That's the whole calculation. The complicated part — and the reason this glossary entry exists — is the word link.
Why "Link" Is the Most Important Word in This Metric
Here's something the ad platforms won't put in large print: not every "click" on your ad takes anyone anywhere.
When someone taps "see more" to expand your caption, that's a click. When they tap your profile name, click a reaction, or open the image to look at it more closely — clicks, clicks, clicks. Meta bundles all of these into a metric honestly named clicks (all), and the cost per click calculated from it looks wonderfully cheap, because expanding a caption is a very popular activity that costs the curious absolutely nothing in commitment.
A link click is the subset that matters for an online shop: someone clicked the actual link and was sent to your website. Pinterest's outbound click is the same filter — a click that leaves Pinterest and heads to your destination. These are the clicks that can, eventually, become customers.
A click that stays on the platform can't buy anything from you.
That's the Key Idea, and it's worth engraving somewhere visible. The gap between the two numbers is not small, either — depending on the ad format and audience, link clicks can be a fraction of clicks (all), which means the "real" cost per visitor can be several times higher than the flattering number at the top of the report.
What's a Good Cost per Link Click?
The honest answer: it depends, and anyone quoting you a universal benchmark is simplifying a lot. It varies by industry, country, audience, season, ad quality, and what you're asking people to do. In European e-commerce we commonly see anywhere from well under €0.20 to over €1.50, and both ends of that range can be perfectly healthy.
Which leads to the more useful framing: a "good" cost per link click is one that's compatible with your economics. If visitors convert at 2% and your average order brings €40 of margin, you can afford roughly €0.80 per click before the math turns against you. The same €0.80 click would be ruinous for a shop selling €8 phone cases. Compare against your own numbers — and your own history — before comparing against the internet's.
The Classic Mistakes
Comparing apples to expanded captions. A pattern we see constantly in audits: one platform's report shows cost per click (all), another shows cost per link click, and the two are placed side by side in a meeting as if they measure the same thing. The platform counting generously "wins," budget shifts toward it, and actual site traffic quietly drops. Always check which click definition a number uses before letting it near a decision.
Optimizing for cheap clicks instead of valuable ones. Broad, curiosity-driven audiences produce gloriously cheap link clicks — and visitors who leave after four seconds. A €0.15 click that never buys is more expensive than a €0.90 click that converts at 3%. Cost per link click is a means; revenue is the end.
Forgetting that a click is not a visit. Even genuine link clicks don't all become sessions on your site — some people close the tab before the page loads, especially on slow pages. If your analytics shows noticeably fewer visits than the platform shows link clicks, that gap is usually a page-speed complaint written in numbers.
Related Metrics
- CPC / cost per click (all) — same formula, looser definition of "click"; always the cheaper-looking sibling.
- CTR (click-through rate) — what percentage of people who saw the ad clicked it; measures appeal rather than cost.
- CPM (cost per thousand impressions) — what you pay for views, regardless of clicks.
- CPA (cost per acquisition) — what you pay per actual sale or lead; the metric your accountant prefers.
The One Sentence to Remember
Cost per link click tells you the price of a real visitor — just make sure every report you compare is counting the same kind of click.
Your homework, if you want it: open your ad reports and check whether the "CPC" column you've been watching is based on link clicks or clicks (all). It's a thirty-second check that has reset more than one channel comparison.
If untangling which platform counts what is exactly the kind of chore you'd rather a dashboard did for you — that's roughly our job description. Have a look at airdan.ai whenever you're curious; the clicks will still be there.
Quick FAQ
What is the difference between link clicks and clicks (all)? Link clicks count only the clicks that send someone to your website. Clicks (all) also include reactions, caption expansions, profile taps, and other on-platform interactions — so it's always the larger, cheaper-looking number.
What is cost per outbound click on Pinterest? It's Pinterest's name for cost per link click: the average amount you pay for each click that leaves Pinterest and lands on your website. The formula is amount spent divided by outbound clicks.
What is a good cost per link click? There's no universal benchmark — European e-commerce commonly ranges from under €0.20 to over €1.50. A good value is one your conversion rate and order margin can support, which only your own numbers can tell you.
Why does my website show fewer visits than my link clicks? Some people click an ad and close the page before it finishes loading, so platforms count a link click while your analytics never records the visit. A large gap usually points to slow landing pages.