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Digital Advertising in India

How Online Ads Are Bought: CPM, CPC and Auctions

Advertisers pay per thousand views, per click or per action, and prices are set by real-time auctions.

Money changes hands in milliseconds.

CPM

Cost per thousand impressions, common for awareness campaigns.

CPC

Cost per click, common in search advertising.

Auctions

When a page loads, an instant auction chooses which ad appears.

Conversion

Advertisers measure sales or sign-ups that result from ads.

A search auction

Several firms bid for the keyword 'running shoes', and the winner's ad appears at the top.

Assuming higher bids always win

Quality and relevance also matter.

Key takeaways
  • CPM is per thousand views.
  • CPC is per click.
  • Auctions set prices.
  • Conversions measure results.
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