I read a very interesting article about Keywords today at clickz.com and some of their comments follow…

Keyword campaigns succeed at any level if marketers understand how a rank’s behavior fits with strategic goals. DoubleClick’s “Performics 50: Search Trend Report” for Q4 2005 identifies some trends in the young SEM industry.

While search and keyword campaigns increased, the cost-per-keyword (CPK) and cost-per-click (CPC) rose 114 percent in the fourth quarter. Over the holidays, the average CPK shot up from a September rate of $25.50 to $54.62 in December. The increase is likely due to seasonal effects and a decline in the use of lower-priced keywords.

You will find this report enlightening especially if you run CPC campaigns of any type.