Average price per click up 23% in December

Consumer searches, as evidenced by the number of keyword clicks, increased dramatically during the month of December, according to DoubleClick. The holiday shopping season saw more consumers searching and likewise improvement in conversion rates, gross revenue and return on investment for advertisers. The unweighted average number of daily clicks per client in December was more than double (+144%) the daily client average during the Q3 2004.

The average client conversion rate (conversions divided by clicks) increased 124% during December when compared with the average client daily conversion rate for Q3. Total conversions, measured by clicks resulting in purchases or other predetermined marketing objectives, increased 446%. The average price per click in December rose by 23%, but with the higher click volume, the average advertisers' total media spend tripled (+200%) compared to the daily average for Q3. The unweighted daily client average for total gross revenue that search marketing programs generated for merchants was 375% higher in December compared with Q3. The average return on investment (revenue divided by click charges) rose 58% in the last shopping month of the holidays compared to the average for the late summer months.