Paid Media

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Also: CPA, Cost Per Action

The cost to acquire one conversion, whatever you define as the action, from a customer to a qualified opportunity, depending on how you set it.

Why it matters

CPA ties spend to a meaningful outcome rather than a click or a raw lead, which makes it a more honest efficiency metric, provided the action you count actually matters.

How it is calculated

CPA = total spend / number of acquisitions (conversions of the chosen action).

What good looks like

A meaningful CPA is anchored to a high-value action (qualified opportunity or customer) and judged against the value that action produces, not minimized for its own sake.

Related terms

Cost Per Lead (CPL)Cost Per Click (CPC)Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)Attribution Window
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