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Paid marketing · USE CASE

See where ad clicks are getting expensive.

Compare Google Ads spend and clicks to find the campaigns behind rising cost per click.

Google Ads
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A WORKED EXAMPLE
Where cost per click increased
Brand search+20.0%$0.50 → $0.60
Nonbrand search+50.0%$1.20 → $1.80
Display remarketing+12.0%$0.63 → $0.70
Oct 5 – Nov 1, 2026 vs previous 28 days · USD

Nonbrand CPC rose from $1.20 to $1.80. Start with the largest change.

EXAMPLE CONVERSATION

Your question.
A useful answer.

✦ AI assistant
Google Ads
YOU

  1. 01
    Google Ads · USDReview first

    Next

  2. 02
    Google Ads · USDCheck next

    Next

Last 28 days · compared with previous 28 days

01 · CONNECT YOUR DATA

Your tools. One place to ask.

1 of 3 Free data sources
No credit card · Daily refresh

Google Ads
DatapipeYour project
Your AI assistantor a report in Sheets / Data Studio
  1. Create your free workspace

    Sign up with your company email. Your first project opens on Data sources.

  2. Add your data source

    Choose the accounts for this workflow. Authorize access and select the property or site.

  3. Bring your question

    Connect your project to a supported AI assistant, or build your source reports.

Create a free account →
Setup steps & what you need

Email/password signups confirm their email first. Use Google signup with a company account if you prefer.

Free includes 3 data sources across the workspace. One account/property added to one project counts as one. Extra properties or the same account in another project use another slot.

02 · ASK A USEFUL QUESTION

Start with a prompt.
Follow the evidence.

Copy these in order into your connected assistant.
Each builds on the answer before it.

01

Find campaign CPC increases

Read the full prompt
Use only this Datapipe project’s authorized data sources. Discover the connected accounts, datasets, and fields first. If the right account or required data is missing, ask me rather than substituting sample data. Show the actual dates, filters, coverage, and any partial results.

Compare Google Ads campaign spend and clicks for the latest complete 28 days versus the preceding 28 days in this account’s currency. Calculate CPC as period spend divided by period clicks. Return campaign, spend, clicks, CPC for both periods, and CPC percentage change. Keep unrounded values for calculations and mark zero-click CPC as unavailable.
02

Investigate the largest increase

Read the full prompt
For the campaign with the largest meaningful CPC increase, compare available conversion counts and conversion value for the same windows. Check what additional campaign or search-term evidence is available. Separate observed facts from possible causes. Do not equate ad-platform conversion value with independently verified revenue.
03

Prepare an investigation checklist

Read the full prompt
Draft a short checklist for the account owner: what to inspect next, the supporting numbers, and what remains unknown. Do not recommend a budget change or perform one solely because CPC increased.
Need to connect your assistant?Check data source availability ↗

03 · USE WHAT YOU FIND

Investigate this campaign before changing the budget.

  1. 01

    Compare campaign spend and clicks for equal periods.

  2. 02

    Calculate CPC from period totals.

  3. 03

    Investigate the largest changes with the campaign context.

Check the result at your next review.

Continue checking spend, clicks, conversions, and value at the same grain and in the same currency. A lower CPC is not automatically a better business result.

Implementation tips for this use case

Inspect the campaign’s search terms, audience, and conversion context where available. Bring the findings to the account owner before deciding whether a change is justified. This example does not change a budget.

WHEN YOU NEED MORE CONTEXT

Go a little deeper.

The method and reporting checks
behind this example.

How to investigate rising cost per click

  1. Connect the correct customer account.

    Choose the authorized Google Ads account, its currency, and two equal complete periods. Source setup is separate from the analysis.

  2. Calculate CPC from campaign totals.

    For each campaign and period, divide total spend by total clicks. Do not average daily CPC values or round before calculating the comparison.

  3. Inspect the campaigns with the biggest changes.

    Ask for campaign and conversion context before making a decision. A higher click cost does not by itself prove a campaign is unprofitable.

See the complete example report
EXAMPLE REPORTFictional sample data

Where cost per click increased

Oct 5 – Nov 1, 2026 vs previous 28 days · USD

Where cost per click increased · fictional sample data
CampaignPrevious CPCCurrent CPCChange
Brand search$0.50$0.60+20.0%
Nonbrand search$1.20$1.80+50.0%
Display remarketing$0.63$0.70+12.0%
WHAT TO LOOK ATNonbrand CPC rose from $1.20 to $1.80.

Investigate this campaign before changing the budget.

Illustrative report output · no live query or source change

Nonbrand spend grew from $1,440 to $2,160 while clicks remained at 1,200. Inspect search terms, conversion quality, and campaign context before deciding whether to act.

Try the example with sample CSVs

Fictional rows matching the example above. Attach these files to your assistant for a sample analysis.

Data method, reporting checks & sources

Group a single Google Ads account by campaign over two matching date windows. CPC equals spend divided by clicks. Percentage change uses unrounded CPC values; all amounts in this sample are USD.

CPC is not profitability. A higher CPC may still be worthwhile if visitor value improves. Zero-click campaigns need a missing CPC rather than division by zero. No budget change is performed.

  • Campaign totals use one account currency and equal date windows.
  • CPC uses spend ÷ clicks with missing values for zero clicks.
  • Efficiency conclusions include value/context rather than CPC alone.
  • An authorized Google Ads customer account.
  • Two equal periods, compatible campaign metrics, and one currency.

For blended reports, align dates, normalized URLs, and reporting grain. Query-level search rows must not duplicate page-level sessions. This is an illustrative workflow; live accounts and destinations need their own setup.

A FEW USEFUL ANSWERS

Before you start.

Why not average the daily CPC values?

Days can have different click counts. Calculate period CPC as total spend divided by total clicks, or use a correctly weighted calculation. Keep zero-click cases unavailable rather than dividing by zero.

Does higher CPC mean I should pause a campaign?

Not by itself. Review conversion quality, business value, and campaign context before making an account decision. The example identifies where to investigate.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Try it with your own data.

Start free with up to 3 data sources. No credit card.

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