• September 7, 2005

Led by double-digit declines in the mortgage, telecom, and consumer services categories, search engine keyword prices dropped an average of 9 percent last month--to $1.50 from $1.65, according to Fathom Online. August marked the second straight month of falling prices; the average cost-per-click in July declined by 4 percent in the categories tracked by Fathom. Still, average prices were up by 13 cents, or 9 percent, since Fathom Online started the keyword price index in September 2004. Last month, mortage-related keywords fell to an average of $3.81 a click, down around 41 percent from an April high of $6.49. Average prices for telecom/broadband-related search terms fell by 13 percent, from $1.72 to $1.49--lower than they've been since Fathom started its keyword price index last year. Telecom/wireless keywords declined by 10 percent to $1.03. -- Wendy Davis