Wordstream, a firm specializing in PPC services and SEM software, has concluded that the top industries contributing most significantly to Google’s $37.9 billion in revenue over 2011 were Finanace & Insurance, Travel & Tourism, and Retails & General Merchandise.
Google’s 2011 earnings were a disappointment to investors as projected revenue fell $300 million short of expectations. Even with profit growth improving from $2.52 to $2.71 billion in Q4 2011, stocks dropped 10% overnight.
As much as 96% of Google’s $37.9 billion in annual revenue was the result of advertising. Wordstream began an initiative to report on the industries that have contributed to Google’s $37.9 billion in 2011 revenue. Below is an infographic that shows the results of their research, but the full report may be of interest, as well.
Wordstream also offered estimated data across keywords and costs-per-click, using their keyword database that runs trillions deep, Google’s Keyword Tool searching for the 10 million most popular keywords in 2011, and the average cost-per-click (CPC) data by keyword.
2011’s Top 5 Industries With The Largest Google Ad Spend
- Finance & Insurance: $4.0 billion
- Retailers & General Merchandise: $2.8 billion
- Travel & Tourism: $2.4 billion
- Jobs & Education: $2.2 billion
- Home & Garden: $2.1 billion
According to Wordstream, the top 10 ad spending industries accounted for 60% of Google’s annual advertising revenue.
The highest spending advertiser on Google in 2011 was Lowe’s, spending $59.1 million for the year. Amazon was a near second, spending an estimated $55.2 million with Google. Home Depot made it into the top 3, spending $50.3 million on Google advertising.
Google doesn’t share company and industry advertising revenue or performance data with the public, which leaves analysts to make projections and estimates through available information. We may not know the exact performance numbers and the level of accuracy, but it’s certainly fun to look at!
