CPC Bidding vs. CPM Bidding: What’s The Difference? (2024)

Article updated September 2021

Google Ads can be considered the backbone of PPC. There are two main types of bidding within Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords): Cost Per Click (CPC) and Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM). In this post, we have a look at CPC vs CPM pricing models for Google Ads.

What’s the difference between CPC and CPM?

  • CPC (Cost Per Click): you pay when someone clicks on your ad.
  • CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions): you pay based on how many people see your ads.

The CPM model is totally different to CPC as your bidding is focused and charged on the number of impressions of your advert receives rather than the number of clicks. CPM bidding is charged per thousand impressions your ad receives. Make sure to check out the latest from Honchō’s industry-leading Paid Media team for more great insights.

Cost Per Click (CPC) Bidding

CPC bidding is where you only pay if someone clicks on one of your ads.

In most cases, people will generally use CPC bidding as it is designed for the Search Network. It’s also the recommended bidding strategy when trying to drive traffic to your website and you know how much you are willing to pay.

Within CPC bidding there are two separate bidding options available:

Automatic Bidding

Where you set a daily budget and Google Ads will attempt to bring you as many clicks as they can for your set budget. You can also set a maximum cost per click to make sure Google doesn’t spend more than you would. If you use automatic bidding I would highly recommend setting a maximum budget for CPC ads!

Manual Bidding

You only pay when someone clicks on your advert but this option allows you to control your maximum bids. You can set bids at the Ad Group level, keyword level or placement level. I personally like this option as I feel it gives you more control over what you spend per click.

Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM) Bidding

CPM bidding is the most common option for advertisers who are targeting the Display Network as this is the best option if you are trying to increase or improve your brand awareness.

One of the downsides of CPM ads is that you could potentially pay for a thousand impressions but receive no clicks to your website.

On the other hand, a benefit of CPM ads is that the display network is solely judged on price so if it has the highest bid it will rank at number 1, whereas CPC bids are judged on CTR, Quality Score and other relevance factors.

Final Thoughts on CPC vs CPM

To summarise, both bidding strategies are different but both have their own benefits and drawbacks. They can be used for different campaign goals such as driving traffic to your site, driving brand awareness or getting sales for your retail business. Something to bear in mind with each pricing model for online ads CPC bidding is mainly used for Search Network campaigns and CPM bidding is primarily used for Display Network campaigns.

Contact our Paid Media experts to learn more, or keep up to date with the latest in the industry on our LinkedIn.

CPC Bidding vs. CPM Bidding: What’s The Difference? (2024)

FAQs

CPC Bidding vs. CPM Bidding: What’s The Difference? ›

CPC is based on the number of actual clicks the ad receives, while CPM is based on the number of times an ad is viewed, regardless of whether customers click on it or not. Brands can use both metrics, considering the implications of each, for a more comprehensive view of the performance of their ad campaigns.

What is the difference between CPC and CPM bidding? ›

CPM: Stands for “cost-per-mile” or “cost-per-thousand.” This model charges an advertiser for every one thousand impressions on their ads. In general, this model is used to increase brand awareness. CPC: Stands for “cost-per-click”. This model charges advertisers a fee every time a user taps on their ad.

Should I do CPC or CPM? ›

With CPM, you are guaranteed to pay for impressions regardless if the ad gets a click. With CPC, you are only paying if a user ends up clicking on your ad. With that, the CPM model is generally a metric advertisers prefer if they want to increase their brand awareness and get as many as possible to see their ad.

Why is my CPC low but my CPM high? ›

When CPM (Cost Per Mille) goes up but CPC (Cost Per Click) goes down, it indicates that while the cost to reach 1,000 people has increased, the cost for each click has decreased. This could mean that your ad is being shown to a more targeted audience that is more likely to click on it, improving the ad's efficiency.

What is one important difference between the bidding for a search ad and the bidding for a display ad? ›

Meaning, search ads only appear to those who are already searching for your product or service, while display ads are paid placements that appear based on various targeting parameters.

What is a good CPM bid? ›

A good cost per mille depends on multiple factors, such as the type of ad networks you use (Google ads, display ads, search ads, Facebook ads, etc) Google search ads average CPM is $38.40, while the google display network ads have an average CPM of $3.12, and Facebook ads have an average CPM of $8.60.

Why is CPC cheaper than CPM? ›

A crucial distinction between CPC and CPM lies in their billing models. CPC charges advertisers only when a user actively engages with their ad by clicking, regardless of how often it's displayed. Conversely, CPM charges are based on the number of times the ad is shown, even if the click-through rate is soaring.

Why is CPC better? ›

Use the cost per click model when the goal of your campaign is to drive conversions, whether that be website visits, downloads, or sales. Because you pay each time a consumer clicks on your ad, it's best if that click leads to a sale, making the investment of the CPC advertisem*nt worth the end result.

Why should you be careful using CPM? ›

Disadvantages of CPM Targeting

Without proper targeting and creative strategies, advertisers risk spending on ads seen by disinterested audiences, potentially leading to lower ROI, especially as compared to CPC or CPA models.

What is a good CPC rate? ›

What is a good CPC rate? A good CPC (cost per click) rate is determined by your ROI on the spend. If something costs $1, you want to make at least $1.20 back (at a minimum). A really good CPC rate would be to get $2 back for every $1 spent.

What is a bad CPC? ›

A bad CPC is generally when your click-through rate, or CTR, is costing more than the resulting revenue from the advertisem*nt. Return on investment, or ROI, is what you'll ultimately use to determine whether the CPC was good or bad.

Is it better to have a high or low CPC? ›

Agencies have a vested interest in lowering CPC while maintaining or improving ad relevance and quality. This is not just about cost efficiency; it's about performance. Red flags should be waving if the average CPC is high, but the conversion rate, ad quality, or relevance is low.

How do I lower my CPM and CPC? ›

Here are the ways that can help you to lower the CPM:
  1. Target the right audience.
  2. Control the budget you invest as your ad spend.
  3. Broaden your audience.
  4. A/B test your ads.
  5. Create a lookalike audience.
  6. Add engaging features to your post.
  7. Improve your ad's relevance score.
  8. Add a CTA.
Feb 8, 2021

What is the best bidding strategy for search ads? ›

Target ROAS (return on ad spend)

Target ROAS is a smart bidding strategy that optimizes campaigns for a given return on ad spend. Advertisers set their desired return amount, and Google adjusts the bids according to the likelihood of an ad reaching that target.

How do you choose a bid strategy? ›

Consider your goals

For the purposes of bidding, you'll want to consider five basic types of goals, along with your current campaign settings. If you want customers to take a direct action on your site, and you're using conversion tracking, then it may be best to focus on conversions.

What is the most common bidding model in search advertising? ›

This is known as cost-per-click (CPC). There are other bidding models too, like cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) and cost-per-view (CPV), but CPC is the most common for search ads.

Is CPC or CPM better on Instagram? ›

At the end of the day, it always comes down to the calculation of cost per conversion. If you can get a better cost per conversion with the CPM ads than you can with the CPC ads, it's better to run the views. Otherwise, stick with CPC.

Can CPC and CPM bids cannot be edited? ›

Select and edit specific placement bids

In the type list, select Keywords and Targeting > Placements. Select one or more placements to edit. Enter the new bid in the edit panel. When more than one placement is selected, the new bid applies to all selected placements.

What is the difference between CPM and CPC and CTR? ›

CPM – or Cost Per Mille – therefore measures the daily cost for each thousand ad impressions that have been made. CPC – or Cost Per Acquisition – is the price you pay each time a conversion is made. And finally, CTR – Click-Through Rate – measures the effectiveness of the clicks on the ad.

What are CPC and CPM and how do you determine which to use? ›

What Is CPC and CPM? Cost per click is a measurement of the amount of money you pay when a consumer clicks your ads, and cost per mille is the cost you pay per 1,000 ad impressions—or 1,000 loads of a page with your ad on it.

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