Jan 6, 2026
Cost Per Acquisition
CPA
The total cost to acquire one customer or conversion. Includes all ad spend divided by the number of completed actions like purchases or sign-ups.
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Formula:
Total Ad Spend ÷ Conversions
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Benchmarks
Google Ads average: $70.11. Legal: $131.63. Auto Repair: $28.50. Restaurants: $30.27. E-commerce: $47.94.
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Why It Matters
The primary profitability metric. Compare CPA to customer lifetime value—if CPA exceeds LTV, the campaign loses money regardless of volume. Platform-reported CPA often looks better than reality; validate against backend data.
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