Revenue Per Click (RPC)
Revenue per click (RPC) is the average amount of revenue generated each time someone clicks on an ad, link, or affiliate offer. RPC stands for revenue per click. It measures the monetization value of a click and is the revenue-side counterpart to cost per click (CPC), used in paid media, affiliate marketing, display advertising, and email campaigns.
The RPC Formula
RPC is calculated by dividing total revenue by total clicks:
RPC = Total Revenue / Total Clicks
A campaign that drives $5,000 in revenue from 2,500 clicks has an RPC of $2.00. A campaign that drives $12,000 from 4,000 clicks has an RPC of $3.00.
The revenue figure should include only the revenue directly attributable to those clicks. Common attribution windows are last click, first click, or a defined multi-touch model in GA4.
To compare against cost, pair RPC with CPC:
- CPC is what you pay per click.
- RPC is what you earn per click.
- Profit per click = RPC – CPC. A campaign with a $2.00 CPC and a $3.00 RPC earns $1.00 in gross profit per click.
This profit-per-click view is the fastest way to spot whether a paid campaign is making or losing money before computing full ROAS.
RPC vs EPC
RPC and EPC (earnings per click) measure the same idea but use different conventions.
- RPC (Revenue Per Click): revenue divided by clicks, reported as a per-click figure. Used widely in paid media, display, and ecommerce.
- EPC (Earnings Per Click): standard in affiliate marketing, almost always reported per 100 clicks.
EPC = (Total Affiliate Earnings / Total Clicks) × 100
Major affiliate networks (ShareASale, Impact, CJ Affiliate, Awin) display EPC per 100 clicks because individual affiliate clicks often pay out in cents, and a per-100 figure is easier to read. An affiliate offer with $250 in commissions on 5,000 clicks has an EPC of $5.00 and an RPC of $0.05.
The two metrics tell the same story. Always check whether a number is per click or per 100 clicks before comparing offers.
Types of RPC
Most teams track several RPC variants to answer different questions.
| Type | What it measures | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign RPC | Revenue from one campaign / clicks in that campaign | Evaluating which campaign generates the most revenue per click |
| Channel RPC | Revenue from a channel / clicks from that channel | Comparing paid search, paid social, email, and affiliate channels |
| Keyword RPC | Revenue from a keyword / clicks on that keyword | Reallocating bids in Google Ads or Microsoft Ads |
| Ad RPC | Revenue from one ad / clicks on that ad | A/B testing creative and copy |
| Affiliate EPC | Affiliate revenue / clicks × 100 | Ranking affiliate programs and partners |
Channel RPC is the most common executive view. Keyword RPC is the most common optimization view inside paid search.
How to Use RPC for Campaign Decisions
RPC drives three core decisions in paid media:
- Set maximum CPC bids. If a campaign produces an RPC of $4.00, bidding above $4.00 makes the campaign unprofitable. Most advertisers set max CPC at 50% to 70% of RPC to leave room for margin.
- Allocate budget across channels. Channels with higher RPC deserve more budget, provided CPC is in line.
- Cut losing ads and keywords. Any ad, keyword, or placement with an RPC below CPC should be paused or rebid until it becomes profitable.
To track RPC by channel, every paid and email campaign needs consistent UTM tagging so GA4 attributes revenue back to the originating click. Calculate RPC instantly from total revenue and clicks with linkutm’s free revenue per click calculator.
How to Improve RPC
Lifting RPC means earning more revenue from the same click volume.
- Improve landing page conversion rate. A move from 2% to 3% conversion lifts RPC by 50% at the same average order value.
- Raise average order value. Upsells, cross-sells, and bundles push more revenue through each converting click.
- Refine audience targeting. Higher-intent clicks convert more often and at higher cart sizes.
- Match landing pages to ad intent. A specific landing page that matches the ad copy converts at a higher rate than a generic homepage.
- Test offers and pricing. Discount thresholds, free shipping, and bundled deals each shift conversion rate and order value.
- Prune low-quality traffic sources. Removing one bad placement often raises blended RPC even though the underlying offer hasn’t changed.
Common RPC Mistakes
Confusing RPC with profit. RPC is gross revenue per click. Subtract CPC, product cost, and overhead to get true profit per click.
Comparing RPC across attribution models. Last-click RPC and first-click RPC produce different numbers from the same data. Pick one model and stick with it.
Optimizing for RPC alone. A high RPC on a low click volume can be misleading. Always pair RPC with total revenue and click count.
Treating RPC and EPC as interchangeable. EPC is usually per 100 clicks. A $5.00 EPC and a $5.00 RPC are 100x apart in real value.
Forgetting refunds and chargebacks. Net RPC after returns is often 5% to 15% lower than gross RPC, especially in ecommerce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RPC stand for?
RPC stands for revenue per click. It is the average revenue generated each time someone clicks on an ad, link, or affiliate offer. The metric appears in Google Ads (as Value Per Click), affiliate dashboards (as EPC), and GA4 attribution reports for any channel that drives revenue.
How do you calculate revenue per click?
RPC = Total Revenue / Total Clicks. A campaign with $5,000 in revenue and 2,500 clicks has an RPC of $2.00. Most ad platforms and analytics tools report this automatically, but the manual formula is useful for cross-channel comparisons and spot checks across affiliate, paid, and email data.
What is the difference between RPC and EPC?
RPC and EPC measure the same thing, but EPC is almost always reported per 100 clicks. RPC is per single click. An affiliate offer with $5.00 EPC pays $5.00 for every 100 clicks. The same offer has an RPC of $0.05 per click. Always confirm which convention a platform uses before comparing.
What is the difference between RPC and CPC?
CPC is the cost paid per click; RPC is the revenue earned per click. CPC is the expense side, RPC is the revenue side. Profit per click is RPC minus CPC. A profitable campaign has RPC higher than CPC by enough margin to cover product cost and overhead.
What is a good revenue per click?
A good RPC depends on the channel, product price, and conversion rate. There is no universal benchmark. Compare RPC against CPC inside the same campaign: any RPC above CPC plus product cost is profitable. For affiliate offers, EPCs above $1.00 (per 100 clicks) are generally considered strong on consumer offers, while B2B offers often have higher EPCs.