Google doesn't ever say this, but I am going to, for clarification. 1. All Google Adsense CPM ads pay a small fraction of what CPC ads pay. 2. All Google Adsense image ads are CPM ads. 3. All Google Adsense "Third Party Ads" are image ads. 4. All Google Adsense "Third Party Ads" are CPM ads. I KNOW that statement #1 is true. Are the other statements true? Please correct me, by number, if I am wrong. "To make good money from CPM ads, you must have millions of page views". Yes. I agree. But wouldn't you make FAR MORE money by displaying CPC ads on those same millions of page views? . .
Thanks for clarifying that. On the same topic: are clicks on image/third party ads reported the same way as CPC clicks? I ask this because I noticed a couple of clicks that paid nothing on different channels and I thought this might be the cause (I am aware that they might be just invalid clicks but that doesn't happen too often to me so it seems strange). If the CPM is low clicks for these third-party ads would seem to pay nothing although I guess we would get a couple of cents when the required number of pageviews is reached.
"Are clicks on image/third party ads reported the same way as CPC clicks?" I think so, but I can't say for sure. This might be the cause of your "paid nothing" clicks, if you selected "image ads" from the "Get Ads" page. If what I said above is true, I think you can avoid the low-paying 3rd party CPM ads completely, if you specify the default choice "Text Ads Only". And, there is the additional advantage of not having to update your privacy policy with the names of all the third party ad servers, as Google has required, if these ads are served.
This is true if your users click on the ads. However, for sites that have the same users day in and day out, or a site where its users are aware of ads, then the cpm model is much better as there will be far less clicks.
I see your point, but I wonder. The best example of what you suggest is digitalpoint. I come here every day. Yet digitalpoint only runs CPC ads. Right? So I am wondering why Shawn doesn't run CPM ads? What is an average "equivalent money" ratio? At a CPM of $2, 20 cents would result from 100 impressions. Lets say one PPC click pays 20 cents. At 100 impressions, you would only need a CTR of 1% to see the 20 cents (1 click). My CTR never goes as low as 1%. So what degree of CPC blindness is required to make CPM the better option? A CTR drop down to 1%? There are a lot of variables, so it is hard to say. I am just guessing with my example.