Happy Independence Day, dear readers. I wanted to share a quick study with you regarding changes in search queries. There is no big mystery here; keyword phrases change seasonally. Search engine
marketing is at an all-time high. Campaign size and cost are growing. Return on investment in the space has never been higher.
According to the Q1 Search Trend Report recently released by Performics, a division of DoubleClick, users of search
engines searched more on specific keywords versus generic category terms.
Other key findings include:
Total spend was up 37 percent from Q1 2005, while total clicks were up 24
percent, and sales increased 72 percent. Searchers are now searching on a wider variety of keywords. The average number of active keywords--those that receive a minimum of one
click or conversion per month--was up 36 percent in Q1 2006 versus the same period last year. Thirty percent of most keywords were priced above a 50 cent cost-per-click. Not
surprisingly, 40 percent of all clicks and 48 percent of all conversions happened in December. So what's your take on the SEM market? Are you garnering more clicks and conversions the more
specific you get in regard to keyword buys? Post to the SPIN blog and share your thoughts. Now I'm off to search to find out when the fireworks are due to launch.
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