What are online ads, exactly?
If you've never paid to advertise online before, this page is for you. We'll skip the jargon and explain what an ad is, what you're actually paying for, and how the whole machine works. Pour a coffee — five minutes and you'll know enough to make smart decisions.
An ad is a piece of content someone paid to show you
That's it. The pizza coupon stuffed in your mailbox is an ad. The billboard on the highway is an ad. The boxed message at the top of Google search results that says "Sponsored" is an ad. Online, the medium is different but the idea is the same: a business pays a website to show their message next to (or instead of) the regular content.
Why would a business pay for that?
Because the website has people the business wants to reach. A plumber wants to be seen by people searching "plumber near me." A restaurant wants to be seen by people browsing dinner spots in their city. The advertiser pays the website to put their name in front of those people at the moment of decision.
The whole game is matching intent — what someone wants right now — to an offer that solves it.
What do you actually pay for?
Two basic models on most platforms (including Cgmimm):
- Pay per click (CPC). You pay a small amount only when someone clicks your ad. Think 50¢ to $2 per click in most local categories. If the ad shows 1,000 times and nobody clicks, you pay nothing.
- Pay per thousand views (CPM). You pay a small amount per thousand times your ad is shown — whether or not anyone clicks. Typically $1 to $10 per thousand views.
🎓 If you're brand new
If your goal is "I want phone calls / leads / sales," start with CPC. You only pay when someone shows interest by clicking. It's the most beginner-friendly model.
If your goal is "I want people to remember my name," start with CPM. You're paying for visibility, not action.
Where does Cgmimm fit in?
Cgmimm is a directory people search when they're ready to buy local — a plumber, a restaurant, a real estate agent, a chiropractor. Cgmimm Ads lets you put your business in front of those people at exactly that moment. Compare that to running a banner on a recipe blog, where the visitor is busy reading about lasagna.
That difference — being shown to someone with active intent vs. someone idly scrolling — is the single biggest factor in whether ads work or not.
💡 Pro tip
Done? You know enough to be dangerous. Next we'll set up your account so you can start experimenting. Setting up your account →