Understand CPM, CPC, CPD, CPA, CPL, CPI, ROAS and viewability with simple explanations.
Advertising campaigns can be priced and evaluated using different metrics depending on the campaign objective.
Advertisers may pay based on impressions, clicks, actions, leads, installs or a fixed advertising period. Publishers and advertisers also use performance metrics to understand how campaigns are performing.
Understanding these terms helps explain how money moves through the digital advertising ecosystem and how campaign performance is measured.
Explore the most common pricing models and performance metrics.
CPM represents the cost for one thousand ad impressions. Under a CPM pricing model, the advertiser pays based on impressions rather than clicks.
IMPRESSIONSCPC is a pricing model where the advertiser pays when a user clicks on the advertisement.
CLICKSCPD is a pricing model where an advertiser pays a fixed amount for an agreed advertising placement or period, typically for one day.
TIMECPA is a performance-based pricing model where the advertiser pays when a defined action occurs, such as a purchase, registration or conversion.
ACTIONCPL is a pricing model where the advertiser pays for a qualified lead generated through an advertising campaign.
LEADCPI is a pricing model where the advertiser pays when a user installs an application as a result of an advertising campaign.
INSTALLROAS measures the revenue generated from advertising compared with the amount spent on advertising.
PERFORMANCEViewability measures whether an ad had an opportunity to be seen by a user. An ad being served does not necessarily mean that the user actually saw it.
VISIBILITYAn impression can be served without the advertisement actually being visible to the user.
Viewability measures whether an advertisement had an opportunity to be seen by the user.
For example, an advertisement may be loaded below the visible portion of a webpage. The ad can be served even though the user has not yet scrolled far enough to see it.
Common industry viewability definitions use both the percentage of the advertisement that is visible and the amount of time it remains visible.
These events represent different stages of advertising performance.
A quick overview of what each metric measures.
| Metric | Full Form | Measures |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | Cost Per Mille | Cost per thousand impressions |
| CPC | Cost Per Click | Cost per click |
| CPD | Cost Per Day | Fixed cost for an agreed period |
| CPA | Cost Per Acquisition / Action | Cost per defined action or conversion |
| CPL | Cost Per Lead | Cost per qualified lead |
| CPI | Cost Per Install | Cost per application install |
| ROAS | Return on Ad Spend | Revenue generated compared with advertising spend |
| Viewability | Ad Viewability | Whether an ad had an opportunity to be seen |
A quick memory guide for advertisers, publishers and AdTech professionals.
This page has been written and structured by PubsRate for educational and informational purposes. The explanations, examples and presentation are created for the PubsRate platform.
Advertising terminology and measurement standards may vary between platforms, advertisers, publishers and measurement providers.
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Last reviewed: August 2026
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