Cost Per Visit

Cost Per Visit (CPV) measures the cost of attracting one visitor to a website or store.
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What is cost per visit?

Cost Per Visit (CPV) is a key marketing metric that measures how much a business spends to bring one visitor to its website or store, regardless of whether the visitor makes a purchase.

CPV tracks actual visits, which means it accounts for users who land on a site through various marketing efforts, including paid ads, influencer marketing, affiliate partnerships, or organic promotions.

💡 CPV helps businesses evaluate the cost-effectiveness of their traffic acquisition strategy.

Why does this metric matter?

Tracking CPV allows brands to:

  • Optimize marketing spend: Identify which channels drive the most cost-effective traffic.
  • Compare traffic sources: Analyze CPV from Google Ads, Facebook Ads, influencer marketing, and SEO.
  • Improve conversion rates: A high CPV with low conversions may show poor traffic quality.
  • Evaluate website performance: If CPV is high but engagement is low, your website UX may need improvements.

How to calculate cost per visit?

Formula

Cost Per Visit = Total Marketing Spend Total Visits

Example:

A Shopify store spends $2,000 on marketing and receives 10,000 visits. Their CPV is:

CPV = 2,000 / 10,000 = $0.20

This means the business spends $0.20 per visit.

CPV vs. other related metrics

While CPV measures cost per visit, other traffic-related metrics provide you with more thorough insights.

MetricDefinitionKey difference from CPV
Cost Per Unique Visitor (CPUV)Measures the cost per individual visitor (excludes repeat visits).CPV counts all visits, while CPUV only counts unique visitors.
Cost Per Mille (CPM)Measures cost per 1,000 ad impressions, regardless of engagement.CPM tracks visibility, CPV tracks actual website visits.

💡 CPV is best analyzed alongside CPC, CTR, and Conversion Rate to get a complete view of marketing performance. A low CPV is valuable only if the traffic converts into paying customers, so it is essential to track engagement and sales metrics to improve strategy.

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