Why cost-per-click is the wrong number to optimise for
Cheap clicks feel like progress. Here's why we build every account around cost-per-lead instead — and how to make the switch without losing account history.
Cost-per-click is easy to report on and easy to game — which is exactly why it's the wrong metric to run a paid media strategy against.
A campaign can drive cheap clicks from an audience that never converts, and still look 'successful' on a CPC-only dashboard. Cost-per-lead forces the conversation back to what actually matters: how much it costs to generate a person who might buy.
In practice, this means importing offline conversions where possible, tightening keyword and audience targeting even if it raises CPC, and reporting monthly against cost-per-qualified-lead rather than clicks or impressions.
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