Click

A click is the basic unit traded in search arbitrage. The business buys clicks and sells clicks, so it helps to be precise about which click is meant.

A typical journey has three. First, the visitor clicks the operator's ad on a traffic source. This is the click the operator pays for, at a CPC. Second, on the landing page, the visitor clicks a keyword or related search term. This click earns nothing by itself and is measured as Lander CTR. Third, on the results page, the visitor clicks a sponsored listing. This is the monetised click, the one the advertiser pays for.

Because three different clicks are in play, reports from different systems rarely agree, and the phrase "revenue per click" can mean revenue per bought click or per ad click. Always check which.

Not every click counts. Platforms filter out clicks they judge to be from bots, repeated, accidental or encouraged. These are invalid clicks and earn nothing. Deliberately generating them is click fraud.

An example

For example, 1,000 bought clicks lead to 450 keyword clicks, which lead to 300 ad clicks. The buyer paid for 1,000 clicks and is paid for 300.