• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 7, 2020

The cost per click fell for many of the top 20 search terms during the past two months, according to data from several search agencies.

The cost per click on the top 20 search terms during the past two months fell, for the most part, with some areas declining more than others.

Kantar data shows that the term “mortgage calculator” took the biggest hit, with the price falling from $2.18 to $1.61 as potential house buyers take a break from their hunt. The term "Cheap Flights" fell from $2.25 in March to $1.83 in April, as consumers take a break from flying. Cool Math, a type of brain training games, also fell from $1.12 in March to $1 in April.

The ranking of top 20 keywords for April is based on the number of impressions the keyword gained in April; and the number of advertisers bidding on the specific keyword, which had to have at least five.

“There are some keywords you would not typically see in a ranking such as this, which I believe are present due to changing consumer concerns during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Jim Leichenko, director of marketing at Kantar. “The top keyword, resume templates, is a prime example, considering 30 million people have lost their job in the last two months.”

The CPCs that rose include Weather Radar at 92.6%; Games, 3.3%; 3D Printing, 11.8%; Flowers Delivery, 2.5%; Engagement Rings, 5.6%; and Bathroom Vanity, 4.8%.   

Tinuiti, among a set of its retail clients, said daily CPC trends running ads between March 1 and April 20, 2020 show that between April 24 and April 30 the average CPC declined 16% compared with the CPCs between March 1 and March 14, before the CDC declared the pandemic.  

NetElixir also analyzed the top 20 keyword terms based on specific categories and found similar declines.

“After substantial CPC declines between March 10 and April 4, we are seeing CPCs across most categories slowly increase, but they are still lower compared with 2019,” said Udayan Bose, NetElixir CEO, noting that overall the top keywords fell 7% YoY.

The CPCs for Apparel category keywords in April experienced the steepest YoY declines, with Dresses falling 48%; Tops, 22%; and Shirts, 12%.

Surprisingly, because so many people in the United States remained under stay-at-home orders, markets in the category of Hardware and Tools also fell hard. The CPCs for Refurbished Tools fell 46%, and DIY Tools fell 35%.

Home Furnishing took a slight hit, with the price in one category rising. The CPCs for Wood Blinds fell 10% and Blinds fell 18%, but Skylight Shades rose 8%.

Food and Grocery also saw mixed CPCs. Ham fell 13%, but Filet Mignon rose 5% and Groceries Online rose 18%.

In the Consumer Electronics category, as consumers tried to figure out how to work from home, the CPC for Laptops fell 15% and Gaming Laptops fell 4%, but Buy Laptops Online rose 3%.

Gifting also rose in some categories and fell in others. Mother’s Day Gift Ideas rose a whopping 22% and Mother’s Day Flowers rose 13%, but Buy Online Gifts fell 20% and Buy Flowers Online fell 3%.