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A Rare Look at Google's Most Lucrative Search Queries (theverge.com) 66

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
An anonymous reader shares a report: Not all Google searches make Google money. Google often says that it only shows ads on about 20 percent of queries, the ones it calls "commercial queries." This week, during the US v. Google antitrust trial, we got a rare glimpse at a closely guarded secret: which search terms make the most money. The list is only for the week of September 22nd, 2018, and it is the list of top queries ordered by revenue and nothing else. Still, we've never seen anything quite like this before, and the list was only made public after long deliberations from Judge Amit Mehta, who has, over the course of the trial, begun to push both sides to be more public with information and data like this.

Okay, here are the top 20 queries for that week ordered by revenue: iphone 8, iphone 8 plus, auto insurance, car insurance, cheap flights, car insurance quotes, direct tv, online colleges, at&t, hulu, iphone, uber, spectrum, comcast, xfinity, insurance quotes, free credit report, cheap car insurance, aarp, and lifelock.
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A Rare Look at Google's Most Lucrative Search Queries More

A Rare Look at Google's Most Lucrative Search Queries

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  • Anyone who has used AdWords could have figured this out years ago. Or honestly, anyone who watches anything with advertising could tell you insurance companies advertise a ton more disproportionately than any other industry. It almost makes you wonder, if they didn't spend so much on advertising how much lower would their rates be?

    • The highest price cost-per-click on any type of ads are for lawyer-related searches. Most specifically, a single click for asbestos and mesothelioma lawyers can run anywhere from $400 to $600. But a single case can be a payout of $1 million or more, so even if only 1 in 100 clicks results in a call to the business, it's still worth the investment.

      • Re:Easily predictable (Score:4, Funny)

        by Firethorn ( 177587 ) on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @11:21AM (#63971894) Homepage Journal

        Hmm... Wonder how many hundreds I cost lawyers then, when I was doing research for a school project on asbestos?

        • If I used Google (which I don't, and haven't since well before this data's 2018 collection), I wonder how much my searches over the years for specimens of asbestos (all three significant minerals that go under that name. as well as the modest number of other asbestiform minerals) from mineralogical suppliers has cost them.

          Actually, probably not a lot - AdBlock and NoScript should have stopped any code on the page from sending out or receiving messages to the top few hundred advertising brokers. Before them

          • Before them, I used other tools, going back to the original Internet Junkbuster [wikipedia.org], back when I was on 36.6kbps dial-up (which is metered in this country).

            I ad-blocked so ancient that I had to use a program called "proxomitron" and write individualized blocks. Basically, it acted as a personal proxy server, back before you had add-ons and such.

            Of course, your very listing of internet junkbuster lists proxomitron.

            That said, when I was doing the report I had to use the school's computers...

            • Your school had computers? Plural? Without counting pocket or desk calculators? Ours consisted of a teletype terminal that could be connected (after hours - the only time scheduled for computing classes) to the school's phone line, and thence to the county-town's college computer. If we ran the long extension lead through the corridors to the secretary's office (part of the reason for after-hours classes, I guess).

              Of course, the local call phone bill wasn't covered by the class's budget (zero, plus paper),

      • Yep, came here to say "mesothelioma" but you were way ahead of me.

        The terms "custody" and "divorce" can also cost quite a bit per search hit.

      • Hell I am clicking on every add for a lawyer now, They are rip of merchants that screw you at every turn, I would take great joy in costing them money, I think its going to be my new hobby.

        • Have fun wasting your time. Google simply credits them back for fraudulent clicks and sends even more business their way. You'd be helping them.

          • Source?

            • You're welcome to read up on Google and click fraud. Can say that as a Google Premier Partner I see them refund tons against fake clicks.

              • Still no source.

                Look, Google *does* prevent fraudulent clicks, in the sense of "someone programmed a robot to click an ad many times, and Google caught that robot doing it".

                However, it does not cover some random person clicking on a link and then leaving the site: Google has no mechanism by which I can identify that click as "fraudulent" ... because it isn't.

          • If I click an ad and browser the site but don't buy anything, is that considered fraud? I mean, maybe I didn't like that website. How would that be determined?

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

              If it is I'm going to put lots and lots of ads on Google. Guaranteed profit.

              While that would explain the ridiculous amount companies pay for advertising, it's not true.

          • Define "fraudulent click". In a way that both Google's lawyers and the lawyers of the companies trying to dispute charges can reach agreement on.

            If I have a reason for clicking a link which Google present to me, but it's not the reason that the people who paid Google to present the link to me, am I being fraudulent? Is Google being fraudulent for not being telepathic (my mouse doesn't have a microphone for me to tell it the reason for my click)? Is the advert-buying company being fraudulent for not asking

        • Your lawyer is a fraudulent hack lying ambulance chaser. Mine is a great guy, looking out for me always.

          You get it, right?

      • Instructions understood - I should click on all ads I see for lawyers.

      • But that isn't quite the same thing. Banner and sidebar ads for mesothelioma are not 'search ads' the way TFA is focused on them.

        And yes, this is that the most valuable/costly ad click, period. Has been for a long time.

        Now, if you wanna know what term gets you the most ads fed to you, that's an interesting competition. I think it's 'shipping containers', but I might be wrong.

    • Think how many car insurance ads you see when watching TV.
      When full self driving hits:
      no one will need car insurance
      and then no insurance ads
      and then no one to buy all the TV commercials
      and then no more free TV programs

      • Considering I have to pay for cable, I never considered it free TV. I've long since stopped paying for cable and now only watch a streaming service or two and that's it. I guess the OTA could go away but I haven't engaged with that in years either.

        In fact, the most ads I see are during football season. When there isn't football, I'm likely not seeing any ads.

  • Who TF is searching for "iPhone 8"?

    • Probably because it isn't getting iOS 17.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by darkain ( 749283 )

      Per TFS, this was back in 2018... when the iPhone 8 was still current. And considering how omnibar searching works, it is perfectly reasonable.

    • I must've tried to load

      https://www.google.com/search?q=iphone+8+plus

      a bazillion times on my old iPhone 4, on account of it kept not loading right.

      Next time I'll use my Android 3 instead.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by tudza ( 842161 )
      OK, your parents both have an iPhone 6. The battery is dying on one. The users of that one has enough trouble using it already. The iPhone 8 is the last one with a physical button at the bottom. It now is also very cheap.

  • What about ... (Score:3)

    by PPH ( 736903 ) on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @11:25AM (#63971902)

    ... "Anything but Google"?

  • I can't imagine how such mundane searches were tops in revenue generation. I mean, "anime tentacles" would clearly have more hits than any of those searches, and think of the possibilities for ads!

  • People are searching for that stuff as opposed to running in the opposite direction at the very mention of such scams?

    • Lifelock: Did someone steal your identity? Pay us, and we can help confirm it's happened. Or don't pay us, we can just pull out what we need.

  • ... if you want to cost these companies money. Turn off your adblocker, search for those terms and click on the ads.

    • by ebcdic ( 39948 ) Alter Relationship on 2023-11-01 17:24 (#63972036)

      ... if you want to cost these companies money. Turn off your adblocker, search for those terms and click on the ads.

      and by terry274 ( 1830944 ) Alter Relationship on 2023-11-01 17:55 (#63972116)

      For those of you who want to run up the bill: https://adnauseam.io/ [adnauseam.io] [adnauseam.io]

      Been there, done that. Watched my connection clog up in a matter of minutes.

      My time is more valuable to me than that. Maybe it's something I should do before I go to

  • this should help (Score:4, Interesting)

    by terry274 ( 1830944 ) on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @12:55PM (#63972116)
    For those of you who want to run up the bill: https://adnauseam.io/ [adnauseam.io]
    • by ebcdic ( 39948 ) Alter Relationship on 2023-11-01 17:24 (#63972036)

      ... if you want to cost these companies money. Turn off your adblocker, search for those terms and click on the ads.

      and by terry274 ( 1830944 ) Alter Relationship on 2023-11-01 17:55 (#63972116)

      For those of you who want to run up the bill: https://adnauseam.io/ [adnauseam.io] [adnauseam.io]

      Been there, done that. Watched my connection clog up in a matter of minutes.

      My time is more valuable to me than that. Maybe it's something I should do before I go to

  • iphone 8, iphone 8 plus (Score:4, Funny)

    by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Wednesday November 01, 2023 @02:32PM (#63972306)

    Sorry, that was me, I have a 7 Plus and want to upgrade.

  • In Canada the credit bureaus are required by law to give you a free copy of your credit report but if you actually try and get it they will use all kinds of dark patterns to sign you up for a recurring credit monitoring product at $30/month.

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