Every webmaster who runs a successful website sooner or later arrives at the question of monetizing its traffic flow and authority. There are several ways to do this. In our previous website traffic monetization article we discussed how to make money off your website by selling backlinks on platforms like Serpzilla. Today let’s talk about AdSense, an advertising platform run by Google and high-paying AdSense keywords.
As a webmaster, you can use Google AdSense to monetize your website by placing targeted ads relevant to your audience.
The kick-off is simple: you sign up for an AdSense account, submit your site for approval, and, once approved, easily generate ad codes directly from your dashboard. You then copy and paste these ad codes into your website’s HTML or utilize dedicated plugins if you’re using CMS platforms like WordPress or Tilda.
Google automatically matches ads to your site’s content and audience demographics, but you have control over ad formats, sizes, and placements.
If you go on a platform like Reddit into any of the webmaster threads, earnings from Google AdSense are widely discussed there. The first thing you’ll notice is how big the reported CPM and CPC difference can be.
What is CPM? Cost per Mille, or CPM, is an advertiser-focused metric which defines the money Google pays webmasters for each thousand of impressions of a particular ad on the AdSense platform.
What is CPC? Cost per Click, or CPC is the amount an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad. In the context of Google AdSense, it’s how much you earn when someone clicks on an ad displayed on your website.
Which Factors Influence CPM and CPC on Google AdSense?
CPM you can earn for showing Google AdSense ads on your website, CPC, and your ability to display ads for top paying AdSense keywords depend on several factors. Key factors are website’s niche and geolocation although other factors have also been shown to significantly affect CPM.
1. Niche or Industry
High-demand, high-competition industries where big money is rolling (e.g., finance, insurance, healthcare, technology) usually yield higher CPM rates due to strong advertiser competition.
Example: Websites focusing on finance, insurance, or investments typically enjoy CPM rates ranging from $15 to $50 or higher. General news or and entertainment websites typically receive CPM rates between $0.50 to $3. The broad, general, often unreliable and opinionated nature of content attracts lower-value ads and less competitive advertiser bidding.
2. Audience Location
Traffic from economically developed regions (like the US, Canada, and Western Europe) typically generates higher CPM compared to less economically developed countries.
For example, here’s a CPM comparison table for YouTube channels whose audience is in North America, Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Asia (AdSense is integrated directly into YouTube).
| Audience Region | Average CPM Range (USD) |
| North America (USA, Canada) | $8 – $20+ |
| Eastern Europe (Poland, Serbia, Romania) | $1 – $4 |
| Southeast Asia (India, Philippines, Indonesia) | $0.50 – $2.50 |
3. Ad Placement and Visibility
Ads placed prominently above-the-fold, or in areas with high visibility, generally attract higher CPM and CPC rates.
4. Ad Formats and Sizes
Certain ad formats, such as responsive ads, video ads, or large-sized banners, usually attract higher advertiser bids.
5. Website Content Quality and Relevance
Well-written, engaging, and regularly updated content attracts premium advertisers, resulting in higher CPM and ability to qualify for top AdSense keywords.
6. Audience Demographics
Websites attracting a demographic with higher purchasing power (such as professionals, decision-makers, or tech-savvy audiences) typically command higher CPM.
7. Seasonality and Trends
CPC and CPM rates fluctuate based on seasonal events, holidays, or economic conditions. For example, holiday seasons or major retail events like Black Friday often see increased advertiser spend.
8. Page Load Speed and User Experience
Faster loading websites with excellent UX metrics (low bounce rate, high engagement) tend to attract higher-quality ads and better rates.
9. Device Type
Desktop CPC and CPM rates can differ from mobile rates, often with desktop traffic attracting slightly higher rates due to different user engagement levels and user behaviors.
Why Some Niches Pay More
In this article, we focus mainly on the niche factor, so let’s talk about why there’s such a huge cost-per-mille and cost-per-click difference for various industries and business domains.
Several factors contribute to CPC and CPM metrics:
1. Advertiser Competition:
Industries with higher competition (like insurance or finance) spend significantly more on ads to attract lucrative customers. For example, the keyword “insurance” can yield a CPC above $50 due to fierce competition among advertisers like Geico and Progressive.
2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):
High-paying niches typically have customers with high lifetime value. A law firm gaining a single client can earn tens of thousands of dollars, hence they’re willing to pay more per click on legal-related keywords compared to niches like entertainment or general blogging.
3. Industry Profit Margins:
Businesses with high profit margins, such as financial consulting or health insurance providers, allocate larger budgets for advertising. Companies like Fidelity Investments or Blue Cross Blue Shield regularly pay premium CPC and CPM rates and can easily afford top paying AdSense keywords.
How to Choose a Profitable Niche
Like we have already mentioned, if you already have a website which clearly belongs to a certain business domain, you only have so much elbow room in selecting a niche.
If you run a gardening blog, it’s unlikely that Google AdSense will match you with ads from the financial sector. However, you can opt for thematically close niches, such as home insurance. Of course, you will actually need to provide content for the placement of such ads.
Potentially, many niches can be profitable, not just the highest-paying ones. A profitable niche combines high advertiser demand, consistent traffic potential, and manageable competition.
Here’s how you can systematically evaluate and choose one:
1. Focus on CPC, Traffic Potential, and Competition
To determine whether a niche is profitable, assess three key factors:
- CPC (Cost Per Click):
The higher the CPC, the more you can earn per ad click. Niches like insurance, finance, software, and legal services tend to have high CPCs because advertisers are willing to spend more for quality leads. - Search Volume:
Even if the CPC is high, a niche won’t be profitable if no one is searching for it. Look for keywords with consistent and substantial monthly search volumes. - Competition Level:
Extremely competitive niches might be difficult to break into as a beginner. Look for niches with a healthy balance—moderate competition but strong CPC and search volume. - Keyword Difficulty:
When you research the most profitable AdSense keywords in your niche, check to see how many of them have high difficulty. If the semantic core in your niche is saturated with high-volume keywords, it means that even long-tail keywords will have a high CPC.
Pro Tip:
One way to estimate how profitable a particular niche is, is to check how much people are willing to pay for backlinks on average. The quickest way to see this is with Serpzilla. You can register as a webmaster and see backlink prices competitors in your niche set.
Example: “Best CRM software for small business” has a CPC of ~$18, decent search volume, and moderate competition—making it a promising niche for a tech-savvy content creator.
2. Use These Tools to Evaluate a Niche
The amount of data you will need to gather to make well-informed decisions about niche selection is huge. Here are some easy-to-use tools that help assess keyword profitability:
- Google Keyword Planner (free):
Enter a topic and get estimated CPC, search volume, and competition level. - Google Trends (free):
Shows seasonal and long-term interest for your niche idea. Look for steady or growing interest curves. - Ubersuggest (freemium):
Great for quickly getting CPC, SEO difficulty score, which is basically keyword difficulty, and content ideas. - Ahrefs and Semrush (paid):
Chances are, you already use one of them for your SEO tasks. These tools are great for keyword research when you optimize your own website, but can also give you a good idea about keyword difficulty in a potential AdSense niche.
Pro Tip:
Look at CPC distribution by country. A niche might perform well globally but poorly in your primary audience’s region. Tools like Ahrefs or Semrush can show you geo-based CPC trends.
3. Consider Content Sustainability
A profitable niche is not just about clicks — it’s about building a content ecosystem you can keep growing:
- Evergreen content niches (e.g., personal finance, health tips, career advice) tend to deliver long-term returns.
- Avoid “fad” topics unless you’re capitalizing on a short-term trend intentionally (like viral TikTok challenges or new product launches).
4. Analyze What’s Already Working
Study your potential competitors:
- Use SimilarWeb or Ahrefs to analyze top-performing websites in your niche.
- Explore what types of content attract backlinks and traffic.
- Then, go to Serpzilla, choose your niche in the filters, and look at how much competitors sell links for — it gives you an idea of earning potential even beyond AdSense.
5. Align with Your Knowledge or Interests
Finally, while profit matters, you’ll have a much easier time maintaining and scaling a site if the topic aligns with your skills or interests. Consistent content publishing is key to long-term traffic and AdSense success.
Checklist for Choosing a Profitable Niche:
- ✅ CPC > $2
- ✅ Monthly search volume > 10,000
- ✅ Competition: Low to Medium
- ✅ Global or high-income country appeal
- ✅ Sustainable content ideas for long-term publishing
- ✅ Active advertisers
10 Best Niches for Google AdSense
Now, let’s take a closer look at 10 most profitable Google AdSense niches with highest paying keywords in AdSense.
| Niche | Avg. CPC ($) | Avg. Monthly Search Volume | Competition Level |
| Insurance | 55.20 | 250,000+ | High |
| Legal Advice | 45.50 | 180,000+ | High |
| Mortgage & Finance | 30.10 | 320,000+ | High |
| Health & Medical | 25.75 | 400,000+ | Medium |
| SaaS & Tech Solutions | 20.50 | 350,000+ | Medium-High |
| Cryptocurrency & Blockchain | 18.40 | 220,000+ | Medium |
| Renewable Energy & Sustainability | 16.25 | 190,000+ | Medium-Low |
| eCommerce & Digital Marketing | 12.50 | 450,000+ | Medium |
| Online Education & Career | 11.30 | 270,000+ | Medium |
| Home Improvement & DIY | 9.80 | 300,000+ | Low-Medium |
1. Insurance
Description: The customer lifetime value in this niche is very high. This and legal obligations in many countries make this niche one of the most profitable.
Trends: Demand is stable and will continue due to legal mandates and rising healthcare costs.
Sub-niches: Health, auto, life insurance, property insurance, pet insurance, travel insurance.
Example site: goreadyinsurance.com generates AdSense income due to high CPC keywords. It has a long, traceable internet presence history, good DA, visibility and traffic, and is seen in top SERP for many competitive keywords, so advertisers choose to bid higher for ads on this site.
Content type: To attract higher bidders for insurance, create content like comparisons of providers, policy breakdowns, quote tools, tips for choosing coverage.
| Keyword | Cost Per Click | Search Volume |
| insurance | $13.64 | 450,000 |
| a car insurance | $20.20 | 673,000 |
| car insurance | $20.20 | 673,000 |
| insurance car | $20.20 | 673,000 |
| insurance for car | $20.20 | 673,000 |
| insurances | $13.64 | 450,000 |
| car insurance quote | $24.11 | 368,000 |
| car insurance quotes | $24.11 | 368,000 |
2. Legal Advice
Description: Legal leads are extremely valuable, and law firms pay top dollar for clicks.
Trends: Increase in online legal consultations post-pandemic allows to offer competitive pricing and thus offer legal services to much broader audiences.
Sub-niches: Personal injury, business law, divorce, child custody, property and succession law. The variety offered and their cost in different countries should be seen as an opportunity.
Example site: attorneyatwork.com capitalizes on legal advice traffic, achieving high revenue. It also publishes plenty of evergreen content and has excellent SEO which often places it in Google’s TOP. Its strong Internet presence and a great variety of quality content make it very attractive for ad bidders.
Content type: Focus on evergreen content which you will also be able to use for your own SEO and content marketing. State/country-specific legal guides, FAQs, lawyer directories, case studies.
Top Legal Keywords – CPC, Volume & Difficulty
| # | Keyword | Searches | Cost Per Click | Keyword Difficulty |
| 1 | lawyers near me | 125,810 | $23.22 | 42.5 |
| 2 | lawyers near me divorce | 100,000 | $25.01 | 36.5 |
| 3 | divorce lawyers near me | 80,630 | $26.41 | 37.9 |
| 4 | accident lawyer | 19,920 | $300.00 | 31.7 |
| 5 | personal injury lawyer near me | 17,670 | $217.80 | 36.5 |
| 6 | will attorney near me | 16,040 | $12.97 | 38.7 |
| 7 | trust attorney near me | 16,010 | $20.28 | 28.0 |
| 8 | estate attorneys near me | 12,760 | $18.00 | 38.2 |
3. Mortgage & Finance
Description: Banks and financial institutions compete aggressively for leads, especially in mortgage and refinancing, since the marginality of these business domains is huge as well as customer lifetime value.
Trends: Constantly rising real estate prices make mortgage the only available option of becoming a homeowner in many developed countries. Volatile interest rates boosting refinance-related searches.
Sub-niches: Home loans, personal finance, credit cards, investment programs, hedge funds, trading.
Example site: Bankrate.com achieves significant traffic and AdSense income through finance-related keywords. It offers multiple free online calculator tools and has excellent coverage and comparison materials about a wide range of financial services. User sessions tend to be longer and bounce rate is low. All this, paired with high relevance of website materials and good SEO makes it an excellent and coveted choice for ad placement.
Content type: If you want to raise the CPC for finance-related ads on your sites, consider the following materials: mortgage calculators, financial product comparisons, budget tips, interest rate analysis.
Top Mortgage Keywords – CPC, Volume & Paid Difficulty
| Rank | Mortgage Keywords | Global Search Volume | Cost Per Click (CPC) | Paid Difficulty (PD) |
| 1 | mortgage calculator | 4,696,700 | $1.50 | 26 |
| 2 | mortgage rates | 872,800 | $3.31 | 41 |
| 3 | freedom mortgage | 592,900 | $2.04 | 8 |
| 4 | mortgage | 570,500 | $7.89 | 22 |
| 5 | mrcooper | 497,000 | $3.02 | 13 |
| 6 | home loan | 255,200 | $6.61 | 50 |
| 7 | fha loan | 192,800 | $7.61 | 48 |
| 8 | mortgage broker | 166,900 | $12.59 | 36 |
| 9 | reverse mortgage | 104,000 | $23.27 | 53 |
| 10 | guild mortgage | 97,000 | $3.88 | 3 |
| 11 | newrez | 93,800 | $369.36 | 2 |
4. Health & Medical
Description: Always relevant and has a global audience; appeals to advertisers selling products or services, has a huge number of related and sub-niches, which makes it a suitable niche for an exorbitant number of business domains.
Trends: Rising interest in telehealth as a cheaper alternative to regular healthcare, especially in countries with traditionally high healthcare costs. Rising popularity of nutriceutical sphere, supplements, and preventative care.
Sub-niches: Nutrition, supplements, mental health, wellbeing, fitness and wellness, traditional medicine, alternative medicine, rehab services.
Example site: Healthline.com, benefiting from consistently high traffic and ad revenue. It offers a very wide coverage of subniches and publishes content regularly. Diversity of content types, high level of SEO and great choice of relevant topics make it a popular choice for AdSense bidders.
Content type: If you aren’t a huge aggregator website, selecting a particular sub-niche could be a better strategy. You will be able to offer highly targeted audiences to your bidders and will also have an opportunity to work with mid-volume, long-tail but still high CPC AdSense keywords. Create content like health tips, product reviews, condition-specific guides, wellness blog posts, listicles.
Top paying AdSense keywords for fitness sub-niche:
| Keywords | Monthly search volume | CPC (high range) |
| Youfit near me | 12,250 | $332.32 |
| In shape fitness | 9,190 | $256.06 |
| Centr fit | 650 | $46.74 |
| Health and fitness | 275,790 | $32.93 |
| Corporate fitness programs | 250 | $26.20 |
| Deliciously fit and healthy | 460 | $23.93 |
| Fit clinic | 170 | $20.88 |
| Lourdes health and fitness | 1,600 | $20.69 |
| Physical activity | 9,900 | $18.99 |
| Corporate fitness | 4,350 | $18.78 |
| Club one fitness | 1,740 | $12.55 |
5. SaaS & Tech Solutions
Description: SaaS companies often work with large marketing budgets and pay well for quality leads.
Trends: Growth of remote work tools, cybersecurity solutions, and AI integration open new advertising venues and propel the SaaS market forward.
Sub-niches: CRM software, productivity apps, cybersecurity, ERP software, cloud solutions, CPaaS.
Example site: TechRadar.com leverages high-value tech-related traffic for premium ad rates. As a popular niche aggregator, it has a huge reach and is in a position of high authority with the industry. It is equally well-received by experts and vendors, thus being able to charge high CPC.
Content type: Reviews and comparisons of software, tutorials, pricing breakdowns, implementation guides. But it is also important to work on your brand and expertise, visibility and authority in the professional community.
SaaS high CPC Keywords for AdSense:
| Keyword | Search Volume | Cost Per Click (CPC) |
| saas system | 390 | $7.43 |
| best saas companies | 320 | $11.87 |
| best saas websites | 320 | $15.48 |
| erp saas | 320 | $39.82 |
| saas cfo | 320 | $15.27 |
| saas security posture management | 320 | $57.88 |
| salesforce saas | 320 | $11.24 |
| saas development | 260 | $26.08 |
| saas management platform | 260 | $92.76 |
| saas subscription | 260 | $24.94 |
6. Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
Description: A relatively new but fast-growing sector with high user interest and advertiser budgets.
Trends: Increasing institutional investment, NFT integration, and evolving regulations.
Sub-niches: Crypto trading platforms, NFTs, blockchain gaming, cryptocurrency software, cryptocurrency mining.
Example site: CoinDesk.com, generating robust ad revenues. A popular industry news aggregator with a variety of content which has good coverage as well as deep analysis. They obviously follow all latest SEO trends as they enjoy stable top placements in SERP, despite working in a high-risk industry.
Content type: Token reviews, crypto news, investment tutorials, market trend analysis. Since it is a high-risk industry, your focus should be on brand expertise and trustworthiness. Add expert interviews, deep analysis, avoid slop and scalable content, opt for uniqueness and credibility.
High CPC keywords for AdSense for Crypto:
| Keywords | Monthly Search Volume | CPC (High Range) |
| sec coin | 100 – 1k | $111.76 |
| Top crypto companies | 100 – 1k | $37.72 |
| Anchorage crypto | 1k – 10k | $34.70 |
| Cointracker | 10k – 100k | $32.49 |
| Webull crypto | 1k – 10k | $28.33 |
| Best crypto wallets | 10k – 100k | $19.13 |
| Best platform to buy cryptocurrency | 1k – 10k | $19.09 |
7. Renewable Energy & Sustainability
Description: Niche growth driven by eco-conscious consumers and government subsidies. It is also a niche largely associated with developed countries. For audiences in such countries CPC is traditionally higher. Although on average the CPC in this domain may be a little lower than in the others on the list, it has a very high potential and generally shows higher CTRs.
Trends: Demand for solar energy, EVs, and sustainable tech is on the rise.
Sub-niches: Solar panels, electric vehicles, smart homes, off-grid living.
Example site: CleanTechnica.com monetizes environmental consciousness effectively. Because the topic itself is mostly interesting to people in developed economies, the target audience is naturally limited to higher-CPC geo locations.
Content type: How-to guides, product comparisons, rebate program summaries, sustainability tips.
Top CPC AdSense keywords for sustainable living and renewable energy:
| Renewable Energy Keywords | Global Search Volume | Cost Per Click (CPC) | Paid Difficulty (PD) |
| hydroelectric power | 27,600 | $1.50 | 7 |
| solar pv | 27,000 | $1.68 | 58 |
| solar plant | 23,800 | $0.24 | 29 |
| geothermal heating | 18,100 | $3.37 | 38 |
| alternative energy | 18,100 | $4.61 | 19 |
| renewable power | 9,900 | $2.64 | 1 |
| geothermal power | 8,200 | $1.36 | 3 |
| renewable sources | 8,100 | $2.77 | 7 |
| solar photovoltaics | 6,600 | $2.07 | 17 |
| green electricity | 6,600 | $4.99 | 16 |
8. eCommerce & Digital Marketing
Description: A large and evergreen niche fueled by businesses looking to grow online. Digital marketing and advertising are two of the fastest growing industries today with some of the highest traffic scores.
Trends: The rise of automation, AI tools, and omnichannel selling. More businesses move online, they need to find more efficient ways to advertise their goods and services online.
Sub-niches: SEO tools, dropshipping, affiliate marketing.
Example site: Shopify Blog, leveraging vast traffic and a business-savvy audience.
Content type: Strategy guides, case studies, tool reviews, growth hacks. This domain attracts businesses as well as beginners looking for career opportunities. These audiences can generate huge traffic so you shouldn’t overlook creating content for them.
| Keywords | Monthly Search Volume | CPC (High Range) |
| Law firm web marketing | 100 – 1k | $138.70 |
| Best SEO marketing companies | 100 – 1k | $91.94 |
| Search engine marketers | 100 – 1k | $91.94 |
| b2b internet marketing agency | 100 – 1k | $34.69 |
| Google ads marketing agency | 100 – 1k | $82.72 |
| Digital marketing advertising | 100 – 1k | $80.00 |
| Digital media advertising | 100 – 1k | $80.00 |
9. Online Education & Career
Description: The global shift toward remote learning and skill-building is ongoing. It has also a relatively low entry barrier, which attracts multiple smaller advertisers who are also willing to pay for ads and come in quantities.
Trends: Growth of e-learning platforms, microcredentials, and career transitions.
Sub-niches: Online courses, certifications, job hunting, eLearning, instructional design, corporate learning, HR.
Example site: ClassCentral brings together massive online course data and guides.
Content type: Course reviews, learning plans, career advice, platform comparisons.
| Keywords | Monthly Search Volume | CPC (High Range) |
| Online schools for psychology | 100 – 1k | $116.49 |
| Distance learning degrees | 100 – 1k | $103.12 |
| Google online courses | 1k – 10k | $91.31 |
| b2b internet marketing agency | 100 – 1k | $34.69 |
| Google online class | 100 – 1k | $87.89 |
| Online education system | 100 – 1k | $78.18 |
| IT online classes | 1k – 10k | $68.33 |
| Online education programs | 1k – 10k | $56.37 |
10. Home Improvement & DIY
Description: Popular among homeowners and renters looking to save money or personalize their space. Enjoys huge popularity on YouTube which integrates AdSense, so if your business has a YouTube channel, you can aim for good CPM rates, if you target audiences in Europe and North America specifically. It also offers multiple micro niches for blogging and can have a low entry level.
Trends: Smart home integration, sustainability, and budget-friendly DIY, popularity of video content, ASMR, how-tos and lifestyle blogging.
Sub-niches: Renovations, gardening, tool usage, upcycling, DIY projects, lifestyle, interior design.
Example site: The Spruce publishes a wide range of high-performing how-to content.
Content type: Step-by-step tutorials, before-after project inspiration, tool reviews, material guides. Consider also creating life-blogging video content, ASMR content as these enjoy larger time-per-session rates and videos watched till the end. This can seriously increase your CPM.
| Home Decoration Keywords | Global Search Volume | Cost Per Click (CPC) | Paid Difficulty (PD) |
| Home Decoration | 1,393,300 | $0.66 | 100 |
| decoration room | 582,700 | $0.62 | 100 |
| wall decor | 477,300 | $0.57 | 100 |
| decor | 364,900 | $0.52 | 69 |
| wall mirror | 302,400 | $0.69 | 100 |
| wall accents | 139,500 | $1.35 | 100 |
| home interior | 128,800 | $12.83 | 33 |
| decor lighting | 121,200 | $0.18 | 100 |
| house decor | 116,300 | $0.84 | 100 |
| fall decor | 106,900 | $0.57 | 100 |
| interior decoration | 97,000 | $1.95 | 57 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does AdSense Pay Per 1,000 Views?
AdSense earnings vary widely but typically range from $2 to $15 per 1,000 views (CPM), depending on niche, audience demographics, and geographic location.
What Are the Highest Paying CPC Keywords?
Highest paying keywords usually come from niches such as insurance, legal, financial services, and health. Examples: “insurance quotes” ($65 CPC), Construction Accident Lawyer Near Me ($531.63 CPC) .
How to Choose the Best Niche for AdSense?
Focus on CPC value, search volume, competition, and trending growth. Search among niches relevant to your website. Use tools like Google Trends, Keyword Planner, and Serpzilla to quickly assess niche viability.
How to Increase CPC in Google AdSense?
- Target high CPC niches and keywords.
- Optimize ad placements (above-the-fold, strategic visibility).
- Improve site speed and content relevance to attract premium advertisers.
