An undisputable winner in a ranking of the most expensive keywords on the Google AdWords platform is ‘business services’ with a cost of 58.64 U.S. dollars per click. In second place was ‘bail bonds’, for which Google was earning just 16 cents less for clicks on searches for the keyword. CPC for the term ‘casino’ ranked third, with a cost of 55.48 U.S. dollars. The least expensive keywords in the ranking were ‘pest control’, ‘termite’ and ‘plumber’, all under 40 dollars per click.
Is Google the king of search advertising?
It certainly seems that way, as the search engine was estimated to bring in more than 85 billion U.S. dollars from search advertising in 2017, whilst Google’s Chinese equivalent and closest competitor, Baidu, generated search ad revenue eight times lower than that. Google has reigned over search advertising for longer than any of its competitors, with marketers investing the majority of their dollars in promoting products and services via either the display network or as text next to search engine results. However, nowadays, with the growing popularity of Amazon and their vast presence on the publishing scene, as well as Facebook’s enormous audience reach, Google’s kingdom is being challenged by the two platforms. What is more, the developing attraction towards using voice search among customers, and consequently among marketers who consider Amazon’s Alexa to have higher marketing value shows that Google needs to step up its game.
Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017
(in U.S. dollars)
Characteristic
Average cost-per-click (in U.S. dollars)
Business Services
58.64
Bail Bonds
58.48
Casino
55.48
Lawyer
54.86
Asset Management
49.86
Insurance
48.41
Cash Services & Payday Loans
48.18
Cleanup & Restoration Services
47.61
Degree
47.36
Medical Coding Services
46.84
Rehab
46.14
Psychic
43.78
Timeshare
42.13
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Average cost-per-click (in U.S. dollars)58.6458.6458.4858.4855.4855.4854.8654.8649.8649.8648.4148.4148.1848.1847.6147.6147.3647.3646.8446.8446.1446.1443.7843.7842.1342.1341.2441.2441.1241.1240.7340.7340.6940.6939.1939.1938.8838.8838.8438.84Business ServicesBail BondsCasinoLawyerAsset ManagementInsuranceCash Services & Payday LoansCleanup & Restoration ServicesDegreeMedical Coding ServicesRehabPsychicTimeshareHVAC SoftwareBusiness SoftwareMedical NeedsLoansPlumberTermitesPest Control
05101520253035404550556065
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The source provides the following information on the methodology: "We pulled all the data collected from anonymous AdWords Performance Grader reports across all industries between June 1, 2016 and June 12, 2017, then looked at the top 1000 most expensive keywords seen during that time period and categorized them by core intent."
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WordStream. (October 20, 2020). Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/
WordStream. "Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. dollars)." Chart. October 20, 2020. Statista. Accessed May 30, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/
WordStream. (2020). Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 30, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/
WordStream. "Most Expensive Keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 20 Oct 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/
WordStream, Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/ (last visited May 30, 2025)
Most expensive keywords in Google Adwords Advertising as of June 2017 (in U.S. dollars) [Graph], WordStream, October 20, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/195680/share-of-keywords-prices-in-google-adwords-advertising/
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