Here’s an interesting report from eMarketer that gives us a rough idea of what to expect in paid search campaigns for clickthrough rates and average cost per click. And, further broken down between Google and Yahoo/Bing.
The first thing that jumps out is how much more effective Google is as compared to Yahoo/Bing. Just look at Q4 clickthrough rates and you’ll see that Google is way ahead with 2.36% to Yahoo’s 1.61%. Yahoo is having their problems lately and it may be awhile before they get back on track.
I’m not sure why Google’s cost per click went down in Q4 2011 vs. Q4 2010 but higher clickthrough rates at a lower cost per click sounds good to me.
For sometime we’ve been recommending the value of Google paid search for independent retailers. It’s cost effective, market specific and easy to track and control when we host the landing pages for your retailers. Consumers have moved online to find product information and making Google paid search a co-opable expense for your dealers will greatly increase your brand presence online without touching your marketing budget. You just have to make it easy for your retailers and our online marketing portal will automate the process for them and you.