The ad tech platform MatchCraft has released its Q1 pay-per-click trends report, revealing which categories cost the most to advertise (in Q1 2023 at least), and which produced the best click-through performances. 

The report’s results are based on category usage of US English campaigns managed by MatchCraft’s AdVantage platform.

“The dissemination of category-level paid search trends holds immense value for the industry as a whole. And not just for our partners, as it promotes a more competitive, innovative, and efficient marketplace. By making this data available, businesses across the spectrum can gain insights into emerging trends, consumer preferences, and the overall direction of the market,” said Amie Slott Director of Marketing and Performance.

“This knowledge enables them to adapt their strategies, allocate resources more effectively, and identify new opportunities for growth.”

Is the Grass Always Greener?

Looking at the results a few things jump out. Maybe it’s easy to go green. Maybe it isn’t. But there is no doubt that it is expensive. At least according to MatchCraft’s cost-per-click data.

“From $3.28, Green Technology’s CPC [grew] to $7.81 (138.11%). It remained the highest CPC in this group by a large margin,” the MatchCraft report says.

Meanwhile, a different set of highlights emerged based on clickthrough performance. Topping this category were Arts & Entertainment, Real Estate, and Travel.

“Arts and Entertainment climbed up as the highest average CTR of the quarter with 11.77%, while Travel sat undisputed at second place with 11.43%,” the report said.

“Real Estate also remains as the third highest CTR with 10.94%. Spirituality and religion had the lowest CTR with 3.37%.”

Apparently, America still loves to travel and have fun. Not so much for feeding its soul.

MatchCraft CEO Sandy Lohr will be a speaker at Localogy’s L23 conference next week in Coronado Bay, California.