As the internet continues to grow and flourish, so does the world of online marketing and advertising. With an unprecedented amount of competition now out there, many businesses and brands have felt it necessary to resort to paid advertising as a way to further amplify their marketing efforts. While many may disagree with the style of ads that should be ran depending on their niches, most people feel like PPC campaigns are the best overall strategy. Not all PPC campaigns are created equally, however, and some select keywords and phrases may be more likely to break a limited budget than others. In the following article, we will outline what some of the most expensive keywords in Google’s PPC campaigns were in 2013 in order to help you plan accordingly.

Occupational Keywords

Anything that focuses upon an occupation – particularly a high-end occupation – is bound to be among the most expensive keywords that you will come into contact with on Google. Insurance agents, lawyers and doctors will quickly discover that the cost per click in these categories is many times higher than it would be for occupations such as plumber or teacher. The overt demand for these types of services and the tendency of self-promotion to be key in these categories is the primary reason they can be so expensive. As you try to target select audiences with relevant ads, you may wish to consider alternative phrasing for these types of occupations.

Utility and Software Keywords

When you are pinging your blog posts or website to users via a Google PPC campaign, you may run into some unexpected expenses for words that pertain to utilities or software. As it turns out, competition is extremely high in paid search for these solutions, meaning that the average cost per click is three times as high as the average across all words and phrases. While you still may be able to afford these words, it is important to understand the stark difference in cost before you build a plan around this niche. Some advertisers, as mentioned above, use alternative phrases that may result in fewer impressions but an overall cheaper cost per click.

Medical Keywords

The final category of most expensive keywords revolves around the medical industry. Many keywords in this niche have been reported as being ten to twenty times more expensive than the average across all words. The most expensive offenders were found in the categories of blood transfusions and neonatal care, but almost all medical-related keywords that were assessed ran above the average cost per click. In cases such as these, a larger budget will most likely not break the bank, but smaller blogs and websites that deal with medical-related terms may find it hard to gain traction.

Conclusion

Not all keywords within a given niche will be expensive, nor will all niches be expensive as a whole. When it comes to categories pertaining to medical equipment, software and high-end occupations, however, expensive budgets are usually more of a rule than the exception. While pinging your blog with traffic earned through paid advertising, be sure to monitor all of the metrics to ensure that the associated costs make it worth the price tag.