Metric comparison
CPC vs CPV
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith, Digital Signet. Updated July 2026.
CPV is cost per view, the pricing unit of video campaigns. The two metrics stop being comparable until you define a view, so start there: definitions are the whole page.
CPC
Cost per click
Charged when someone clicks through
- The visitor is the product
- Native to search and Shopping
- Judged by what clicks convert
CPV
Cost per view
Charged when a view threshold is met
- In-stream: 30 seconds watched, or the full ad if shorter
- In-feed and Shorts: 10 seconds
- Attention is the product; clicks are a bonus
Use this when
CPC: you need visits and enquiries you can count.
CPV: you need the message watched, and traffic is secondary.
View thresholds per Google's CPV documentation: Google Ads Help, CPV bidding
Translating CPV to an effective CPC
Worked translation · illustrative inputs
Every input above is an illustration of the method, not a benchmark; platforms publish no CPV rate card and view-to-click rates vary wildly by creative. Substitute your own campaign's numbers. The same translation appears on the YouTube page with identical maths, on purpose.
When clicks matter on video
When the video exists to produce an action: a booking, a signup, a sale. Then judge the campaign on effective CPC and conversion like any other traffic source. If the video exists to be remembered, CPV is the honest metric and forcing a CPC lens undervalues it. Sister comparisons: CPC vs CPM for static reach, and the TikTok page for the other big video auction.