Lawyers contributing to significant growth in search engine marketing revenue
Search engine marketing via the purchase of sponsored links is continuing its staggering growth. And lawyers are contributing their fair share.
Loren Baker at Search Engine Journal points out, per the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, that (41%) of the $10 billion spent in Internet advertising for the first half of 2007 was spent on search.
| First Half 2006 | First Half 2007 | |
| Search | 40% ($3,164) | 41% ($4,097) |
| Classifieds | 20% ($1,582) | 17% ($1,699) |
| Referrals/Lead Generation | 7% ($592) | 8% ($799) |
| 2% ($158) | 2 % ($200)n | |
| Display Related: | 31% ($2,413) | 32% ($3,198) |
| – Rich Media (includes video) | 6% ($475) | 8% ($799) |
| – Ad Banners/Display Ads | 21% ($1,622) | 21% ($2,099) |
| – Sponsorships | 4% ($316) | 3% ($300) |
| – Slotting Fees | <1% (<$1) | <1% (<$1) |
As Loren notes, spending is much higher during the second quarter of 2007 than it was a year before:
Internet advertising revenue totaled nearly $5.1 billion for the second quarter of 2007, exceeding the $5 billion mark for the first time in a quarter, a 25.4 percent increase over the same period in 2006.
These numbers aren’t surprising. Take a look at this post on Adsense top paying keywords, keeping in mind the cost-per-click definitions from Google’s Inside AdWords blog:
- CPC is an abbreviation for cost-per-click, and refers to the cost that you will pay (per click) when a user clicks on your ad.
- Maximum CPC is a maximum amount that is set by you, the advertiser, and defines the most you wish to pay for a click on a keyword. Keep in mind that you don’t automatically pay this maximum amount because the AdWords Discounter will always reduce the amount you are charged to be just one cent more than the minimum necessary to keep your position on the page.
- Average CPC (also seen as Avg. CPC in your account) is literally that: an average. Since each click you receive may have a different CPC depending on a variety of factors, we show you the Average CPC in your account to give you an effective overview. The Average CPC is determined by totalling the cost of all clicks and then dividing that total by the number of clicks.
At the most expensive end of the Adsense spectrum, Yahoo has an average CPC of $97.44 (no shock there). But as you move down the list, you notice that even simple services – hair removal, refinancing, and not surprisingly a range of legal needs – are costing advertisers averages above $12 a click.
Some notable average CPC’s for legal services:
- law lemon wisconsin ($66.15)
- accident car florida lawyer ($28.03)
- orlando criminal attorney ($24.15)
- criminal defense federal lawyer ($23.09)
- miami personal injury lawyer ($22.93)
And these are just averages. As the list points out, many of these advertisers are willing to pay between $30 and $50, sometimes well above $100, for consumer clicks.