Google CPM: Cost Per Thousand Impressions

Google CPM measures how much you pay for every 1,000 times your Google ad is shown—lower CPM means your budget reaches more people.

Formula

Google CPM = ( Google Spend ÷ Google Impressions ) × 1,000

Formula Components

Metric	Definition
Google Spend	Total amount spent on Google advertising
Google Impressions	Total times your Google ads were displayed

Metadata
Type	Currency
Data Source	Google Ads
Aggregation	Ratio

Example

A home décor brand spent $2,400 on Google Display ads in March and received 1,200,000 impressions:

Metric	Value	Calculation
Google Spend	$2,400	—
Google Impressions	1,200,000	—
Google CPM	$2.00	$2,400 ÷ 1,200,000 × 1,000

How It Works

Google CPM divides your total ad spend by the number of impressions, then multiplies by 1,000 to express the cost per thousand views. This metric helps you understand the efficiency of your awareness campaigns where reach matters more than clicks.

When to Use

Scenario	Action
Comparing brand awareness campaigns	Lower CPM = more efficient reach
Evaluating Display vs. YouTube spend	Compare CPM across campaign types
Assessing audience targeting efficiency	High CPM may signal narrow targeting
Budget planning for impressions	Forecast spend based on target reach

Metric	Relationship
Google Spend	Numerator—total ad cost
Google Impressions	Denominator—total ad views

See all Google Audience metrics →

Google Impressions Google Frequency

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​Formula

​Formula Components

​Example

​How It Works

​When to Use

​Related Metrics

Formula

Formula Components

Example

How It Works

When to Use

Related Metrics