What Are the Most Expensive Keywords of 2017

Updated January 11, 2023

How Many Clicks Can I Get For a Dollar?

Google AdWords make Google billions of dollars a year. All of those 50 cent keyword clicks add up, making AdWords a hugely profitable platform. But not every keyword can be got so cheaply, while the average CPC is $2, there are much more expensive keywords out there. We take a look at the list of most expensive keywords, published by Search Engine Journal, and see what information they might give us.

So here’s the top 25 most expensive short tail keywords:

1. Business Services – $58.64
2. Bail Bonds – $58.48
3. Casino – $55.48
4. Lawyer – $54.86
5. Asset Management – $49.86
6. Insurance – $48.41
7. Cash Services & Payday Loans – $48.18
8. Cleanup & Restoration Services – $47.61
9. Degree – $47.36
10. Medical Coding Services – $46.84
11. Rehab – $46.14
12. Psychic – $43.78
13. Timeshare – $42.13
14. HVAC – $41.24
15. Business Software – $41.12
16. Medical Needs – $40.73
17. Loans – $40.69
18. Plumber – $39.19
19. Termites – $38.88
20. Pest Control – $38.84
21. Mortgages – $36.76
22. Online Gambling – $32.84
23. Banking – $31.43
24. Hair Transplant – $31.37
25. Google AdWords – $30.06

Why So Expensive?

These keywords are expensive because they are all highly competitive keywords from industries that have been advertising online for a long time. Over the years competition has forced the price of the keywords up. Also, as mentioned above, these are short tail keywords and, while long tail keywords can sometimes be more expensive, generally short tail keywords will cost more than more specific, long tail, keywords.

Another factor that contributes to the high cost per click of each keyword is the end value of a customer. The majority of the products that are being sold with these keywords are priced in the thousands. For example, ‘mortgages’ at $36.76 might seem expensive, but the mortgage lender is going to make considerably more than that back if they get a customer from their ad. In fact one conversion will probably pay for thousands of clicks. The same is true of the majority of keywords on the list.

Can You Fight It?

So, if you’re in one of these industries, and want to use PPC what can you do? Firstly, you need to work out how much a customer is worth to you. Then you can work backwards to find out how much you are able to pay per click. Once you have done that you’ll have a better idea of if you want to compete or not.

If you do decide to compete you can one way you can help to reduce costs is by narrowing your campaigns down using targeting. Location targeting for example will allow you to be very specific with where your ads are showing. So if you’re a hair transplant clinic in Columbus Ohio, you’ll only be competing against other local clinics.

Another way is to use longer, more focused, keywords. For a very basic example ‘rehab’ may get 1000 clicks a month, but if your business helps specifically rehabilitate people who have been hurt while playing sport, try ‘sports rehab’. This keyword is likely to cost less but, if it does cost more, the number of clicks should be lower as it is a more specific keyword.

Most Expensive Keywords

Do you have any expensive keywords? How do you get around high CPC in your account? We’d love to hear your AdWords stories.

Photo credit – Top: Pixabay