Search advertisers could soon be paying up to 78 per cent more on the Bing search engine’s cost-per-click (CPC) ads for top branded keywords, according to a new study.
The study, from ad media company GroupM Search, attributed the hike in prices to Bing-owner Microsoft integrating Yahoo Search onto its own search platform.
Microsoft said it will complete the transition by the end of October, after which Bing will power all of Yahoo’s search queries.
GroupM also expects a premium of 64 per cent for non-branded keywords during at least the first three weeks of the transition.
The media company has projected a three-week period of volatility post-transition before costs begin to settle.
Once the market stabilises by early next year, the prices will rise 13 per cent higher for unbranded and 23 per cent higher for branded keywords over current Bing.com pricing, the report added.
“Any time you interject change into the auction you invite pricing pressure,”
