Archive for November 26th, 2009
Economics of PPC Pricing: Why the Markup Model is Flawed
Posted by Alan Mitchell in Techniques on November 26th, 2009
Choosing a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) pricing model which works efficiently for both client and agency is a difficult process. A good pricing model should be simple, should create incentives for the agency to perform and should be a fair measure of the work and expertise involved.
One common model that many agencies use is the ‘markup’ model (also commonly known as the ‘percentage of spend’ model). If the agreed markup is 10%, and the client spends $30,000 on clicks, the client pays $33,000, of which the agency receives $3,000.
Nice and simple.
But does it create incentives for the agency to maximise profit for the client? Does it fairly reflect the work and expertise involved at all spend levels?
No.

