Google Display Network CPM 2025: $2.80 Average Across 18 Industries

Average Google Display Network CPM is $2.80 in 2025, ranging from $0.30 (general interest content) to $18.50 (financial services). Australian GDN CPMs average $1.90–$3.20, below the US benchmark. Responsive display ads outperform static banners by 28% on CTR (Google Internal Data, Q3 2025; WordStream, n=14,000 accounts).

Key Takeaways

• Global average GDN CPM: $2.80 in 2025
• Australian GDN CPM range: $1.90–$3.20 (below US pricing)
• Financial services CPM: $18.50 (highest vertical)
• General interest CPM: $0.30–$0.80 (lowest)
• Responsive display ads: 28% higher CTR than static banners
• Average GDN CTR across all formats: 0.46%
• GDN reaches 90%+ of internet users globally across 35 million websites and apps

What Is CPM on Google Display Network

CPM stands for cost per thousand impressions. On GDN, you pay each time your ad is shown 1,000 times — regardless of whether anyone clicks.

CPM buying suits brand awareness campaigns. For direct response, most advertisers use CPC (cost per click) or Target CPA bidding on GDN instead.

The Google Display Network includes Gmail, YouTube (non-video placements), and 35+ million third-party websites. It reaches approximately 90% of global internet users.

GDN CPM Benchmarks by Industry (2025)

GDN CPM by Ad Format

Australian GDN CPM vs Global Benchmarks

Australian GDN inventory is consistently cheaper than US equivalents:

Australian e-commerce and services businesses targeting domestic audiences get more impressions per dollar than US-based advertisers running equivalent campaigns.

The lower CPM reflects lower advertiser competition in the AU market, not lower audience quality. For Australian businesses running awareness or retargeting campaigns, GDN is cost-effective inventory.

GDN CPM vs Other Display Networks

For most small-to-mid-size Australian advertisers, GDN via Google Ads is the simplest entry point. Programmatic via DV360 requires minimum spend commitments and a managed service.

GDN CTR Benchmarks (Because CTR Drives Effective Cost)

CPM tells you what you pay per 1,000 impressions. CTR tells you how many of those impressions convert to clicks.

Average GDN CTR is 0.46% across all industries and formats in 2025.

Remarketing campaigns on GDN consistently outperform prospecting campaigns by 3–5x on CTR. If you are running GDN for brand awareness without a retargeting layer, you are leaving performance on the table.

What Drives GDN CPM Up or Down

Factors that raise CPM:

• Audience targeting (in-market, custom intent, lookalike)
• Premium placements (YouTube.com, Gmail, top publishers)
• Competitive verticals (finance, legal, health)
• Smaller geographic targets (single suburb)
• Frequency caps that force Google to find fresh impressions

Factors that lower CPM:

• Run-of-network (no audience targeting)
• Content targeting only (placement contextual matching)
• Broader geographic targets
• Display Select campaigns with flexible placement controls

Most Australian SMBs overpay on GDN because they use the default Google Ads settings, which prioritise Google’s revenue over advertiser efficiency. Manual placement exclusions, frequency caps, and topic exclusions typically cut wasted impressions by 30–50%.

GDN vs Google Search: When to Use Which

Common GDN Questions

Does GDN include YouTube?
Video ads on YouTube use a separate buying system (TrueView / CPV). GDN covers non-video placements on YouTube (display banners alongside videos) and on Google’s display partners.

Is GDN the same as programmatic?
No. GDN is a walled-garden network run by Google. Programmatic (via DSPs like DV360, The Trade Desk, or Xandr) accesses a broader open-web inventory including GDN and non-Google placements.

What is a good CPM for retargeting on GDN?
Retargeting on GDN typically runs $4–$8 CPM for Australian audiences due to the smaller pool of qualified impressions. A $5 CPM retargeting campaign with 1% CTR gives an effective CPC of $0.50 — one of the cheapest retargeting channels available.

How does smart bidding affect CPM?
If you switch to Target CPA or Target ROAS bidding, Google optimises for conversions — CPM becomes an output, not an input. On brand awareness campaigns using CPM bidding, you set the ceiling directly.

Setting Up GDN Campaigns for Australian Businesses

If you are running Google Ads in Australia and have not yet tested GDN, the lowest-risk entry point is a retargeting campaign:

1. Install Google Ads remarketing tag on your website
2. Build an audience of past visitors (7-day, 30-day, 90-day windows)
3. Create responsive display ads using 5 headlines, 5 descriptions, and 5 image assets
4. Set a Target CPA bid matching your search campaign CPA
5. Exclude mobile app placements (high fraud rate on GDN)
6. Review placements weekly for the first 30 days and exclude irrelevant domains

Most Australian accounts see GDN retargeting CPA at 60–80% of search CPA costs — with the trade-off being lower intent from each click.

Data sources: WordStream GDN Benchmark Report 2025 (n=14,000 accounts); Google Internal Performance Data Q3 2025; Statista Display Advertising Benchmarks; eMarketer Australia Digital Advertising Forecast 2025.

RockingWeb manages Google Ads campaigns for Australian businesses. See our services or contact us for a free account audit.