Cost Per Acquisition - the average amount spent to generate one booking, enquiry or conversion.
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) is the average amount you spend to generate a single desired outcome - an enquiry, a purchase, a booking, or a qualified lead. It’s one of the most useful metrics for deciding whether a campaign is sustainable, but only if the “acquisition” is defined correctly.
The best way to use CPA is alongside value: pair it with conversion value, revenue per lead, or contribution margin so optimisation decisions improve profit, not just volume.
Browse related definitions in the same glossary category.
Acquisition Channel
The source through which users find your website - such as organic search, paid search, social media, or referrals.
Anonymous Traffic
Website visits where user data or referrer information is not available due to privacy settings or tracking restrictions.
Attribution Model
A rule that determines how credit for conversions is assigned to different marketing touchpoints (e.g., first click, last click, data-driven).
Average Position
A metric indicating where a page typically ranks in search results for a given query. Replaced by average ranking in GA4.
Behaviour Flow
A report in analytics tools showing how users navigate between pages and where they drop off.
Bounce
A single-page session with no interaction. High bounce rates can signal poor UX, irrelevant content, or slow loading times.
Understanding "Acquisition Cost (CPA)" is just the first step. Our team at TwoSquares specializes in technical SEO and digital strategy, helping brands turn complex concepts into measurable growth.