Click and Paid

The Most Expensive Keywords in Paid Search, by Cost Per Click & Spend »

Way back in October 2009, AdGooroo found that the keyword ‘mesothelioma’ was the most expensive keyword in paid search, costing an average of $99.44 per click. We recently returned to that subject and found things have both changed and stayed the same in the ensuing years.

In analyzing the full year of 2014, we found that the term ‘mesothelioma’ per se was no longer the most expensive keyword in terms of cost per click and that it had actually dropped in price to an average CPC of $82.69. That being said, 13 of the Top 20 most expensive keywords in 2014 were, in fact, related to mesothelioma, the cancerous tumor that is at the center of many asbestos-related lawsuits.

Moreover, the price to sponsor these keywords has skyrocketed. The most expensive keyword term for 2014, ‘mesothelioma attorneys tx’, had an average cost per click of $319.34. The other 12 mesothelioma-related keywords in the Top 20 averaged a $216.17 cost per click.

As for the other 7 keywords that rank among the Top 20 most expensive, all were related to the business of purchasing structured settlements from lawsuit plaintiffs. Structured settlements are a type of legal settlement where the plaintiff is paid an annuity rather than a lump sum. The advertisers sponsoring such keywords are financial service companies who offer the plaintiff cash upfront for the annuity. The top term among these, ‘buying structured settlement annuities’, ranked #2 with a $312.49 average CPC.