/Advertising
Question
My CPC is cheap but I get almost no add-to-carts – what does that actually mean?
Posted by •11/10/2025
Been running Meta ads for 10 days and I'm confused as hell.
Stats (avg):
- CPC: around $0.45
- CTR (link): ~2.3%
- Landing page views: ~100–120/day
- Add to carts: 1–2 per day
- Purchases: 0
Everyone says cheap traffic is good, but if people aren't adding to cart… is that actually good?
Product:
- Women's posture corrector, selling for $34.99
- Targeting women 25–45, US
Does cheap CPC + no ATC mean:
- My ad is attracting the wrong people?
- My product page sucks?
- My offer (price, guarantee, etc.) is bad?
I don't know if I should focus on changing the ad or fixing the store. How do you interpret this kind of situation?
Stats (avg):
- CPC: around $0.45
- CTR (link): ~2.3%
- Landing page views: ~100–120/day
- Add to carts: 1–2 per day
- Purchases: 0
Everyone says cheap traffic is good, but if people aren't adding to cart… is that actually good?
Product:
- Women's posture corrector, selling for $34.99
- Targeting women 25–45, US
Does cheap CPC + no ATC mean:
- My ad is attracting the wrong people?
- My product page sucks?
- My offer (price, guarantee, etc.) is bad?
I don't know if I should focus on changing the ad or fixing the store. How do you interpret this kind of situation?
2 Replies
•11/10/2025
I had the same thing with a neck massager.
What fixed it:
- Changed hero image from “product laying on a table” to “woman using it on couch, looking relaxed”
- Rewrote first 3 lines from "features" to "you come home from work with tight shoulders, this solves that"
- Added a big “30-day relief or your money back” guarantee section
ATC rate went from ~2% to 9% with the same traffic.
So yeah, cheap clicks + no ATC is almost always a **conversion / messaging** issue, not a traffic issue.
What fixed it:
- Changed hero image from “product laying on a table” to “woman using it on couch, looking relaxed”
- Rewrote first 3 lines from "features" to "you come home from work with tight shoulders, this solves that"
- Added a big “30-day relief or your money back” guarantee section
ATC rate went from ~2% to 9% with the same traffic.
So yeah, cheap clicks + no ATC is almost always a **conversion / messaging** issue, not a traffic issue.
•11/10/2025
Good question, and you're reading the right thing.
Basic rule of thumb:
- If **CTR is low** and **CPC is high** → ad problem (people don't care enough to click)
- If **CTR is good**, **CPC is low**, but **no ATC** → **offer/page problem**
In your case:
- 2.3% CTR (link) = good
- $0.45 CPC = good
- 1–2 ATC per 100–120 visitors = bad (you want at least 5–8% ATC ideally)
So Meta is doing its job:
- It's finding people who are willing to click
- They land on your page and then… they don't care enough to take the next step
That usually means:
- The **promise in the ad** doesn't match the **page**
- The page is boring / generic / not specific enough
- Price doesn't feel justified by perceived value
- No urgency, no clear reason to act **now**
Go through this checklist:
1. Does the **first screen** of your product page on mobile:
- Confirm the SAME benefit as your ad?
- Show the product in use (not just on a white background)?
- Have a clear headline that says what problem it solves?
2. Does your page talk to:
- Pain (back/shoulder pain, feeling slouched, low confidence)
- Desired outcome (standing straighter, looking better, less pain)
…or is it just “Nylon + spandex / adjustable straps”?
3. Do you show WHY $34.99 is fair?
- Compare to physio costs
- Compare to office chairs, etc.
- Add social proof, before/after, guarantee
Fix the **product page + offer** first. If you start “fixing” the ads when they're already getting clicks, you'll just confuse the algorithm and make things worse.
Basic rule of thumb:
- If **CTR is low** and **CPC is high** → ad problem (people don't care enough to click)
- If **CTR is good**, **CPC is low**, but **no ATC** → **offer/page problem**
In your case:
- 2.3% CTR (link) = good
- $0.45 CPC = good
- 1–2 ATC per 100–120 visitors = bad (you want at least 5–8% ATC ideally)
So Meta is doing its job:
- It's finding people who are willing to click
- They land on your page and then… they don't care enough to take the next step
That usually means:
- The **promise in the ad** doesn't match the **page**
- The page is boring / generic / not specific enough
- Price doesn't feel justified by perceived value
- No urgency, no clear reason to act **now**
Go through this checklist:
1. Does the **first screen** of your product page on mobile:
- Confirm the SAME benefit as your ad?
- Show the product in use (not just on a white background)?
- Have a clear headline that says what problem it solves?
2. Does your page talk to:
- Pain (back/shoulder pain, feeling slouched, low confidence)
- Desired outcome (standing straighter, looking better, less pain)
…or is it just “Nylon + spandex / adjustable straps”?
3. Do you show WHY $34.99 is fair?
- Compare to physio costs
- Compare to office chairs, etc.
- Add social proof, before/after, guarantee
Fix the **product page + offer** first. If you start “fixing” the ads when they're already getting clicks, you'll just confuse the algorithm and make things worse.