Prices and rates
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
Updated
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) is the price of showing an ad 1,000 times, whether or not anyone clicks. The "M" is the Roman numeral for a thousand. Google describes CPM as paying per thousand views. It also offers viewable CPM, which charges only when an ad can be seen.
CPM moves the risk to the buyer: you pay for views even if nobody clicks. It suits campaigns meant to make a name known. Example: a DMO buys CPM ads to build awareness of a new winter festival before tickets go on sale.
Related: cost per click · click-through rate · invalid traffic