Search marketing costs rose during the third quarter, according to new data by DoubleClick's Performics unit. The average cost-per-keyword, or average cost to a marketer of purchasing a keyword for
the entire month, grew 20% from June to September. To calculate cost-per-keyword, Performics combines cost-per-click with the volume of clicks. Additionally, marketers in the Performics 50
index--representing 50 paid search campaigns--increased their average search spend 38% during the third quarter. Performics also reported that conversion rates increased 4% quarter-over-quarter, while
total clicks increased 3%.
