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Paid Search Trends 2017 Q4

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Closing out a transitional year for paid search, Q4 2017 featured an an all-time high for CPC, substantial increases in holiday spend, and the first ever drop in mobile CTR.

2017 was a transformational year in paid search. Learn how the paid search landscape changed and how it will continue to evolve in 2018 in iProspect’s Quarterly Paid Search Trends Report for Q4 2017.

 

Insights from the Q4 2017 report include:

  • Costs are up, but so is efficiency. Despite higher CPC and spend, CTR on traditional paid search ads did improve YoY. The tradeoff: more expensive clicks, but improved efficiency and higher conversions.

  • Higher advertising expenses driven by external factors. Greater competition and adjustments to the algorithm that controls the paid search ad auction drove costs up.

  • Quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) spend increased substantially. 2017 holiday drove a jump in QoQ spend that was a full 10 points higher than last year’s.

  • Google: CPC is up. CTR is down. Google CPC is up 25% YoY, but skyrocketing Shopping impressions drive substantial drop in CTR.

  • Bing: CTR 57% higher than Google’s. Bing also leads the race in high CPC with a 29% YoY increase.

  • Mobile clicks are down. For the first time, mobile clicks saw a slight YoY decline, driven partially by a slow down of mobile queries.

  • Shopping investment and metrics up. Advertisers invested heavily in Q4 and saw all-time highs for metrics across the board. 

 

For all the findings and insights, download the full report to get the information you need to put your best foot forward in 2018.

 

Download "Paid Search Trends 2017 Q4"