In a recent presentation, Performics predicts that mobile will account for 20 percent of all paid search impressions by the summer.
“Mobile Search Trends & Best Practices” starts by proclaiming that 2011 was a “revolutionary” year for mobile, with global smartphone and tablet shipments outpacing desktops and laptops; and U.S. mobile advertising reaching $1.45 billion, an 89 percent surge from 2010.
During the holiday season last year, Google noted that mobile paid search ad volume doubled from December 2010 to December 2011, with mobile paid search clicks and impressions reaching all-time highs on Black Friday.
Referring to data from eMarketer, Performics notes that mobile Internet usage will overtake desktop Internet usage by 2014. Also, mobile ad spend in the U.S. is expected to reach $2.6 billion this year.
At the center of this mobile revolution is mobile search, according to Performics.
Mobile paid search impressions on Google peaked at 16.4 percent in December, an all-time high. In January, this mark rested at 15.9 percent, according to Performics. Also, in the past three months, tablets accounted for 38 percent of all mobile impressions.
Performics predicts that mobile will make up 20 percent of all paid search impressions by the summer.
The company notes that in December, mobile clickshare peaked at 21.7 percent, and that in January mobile accounted for 21.5 percent of all clicks.
Tablets account for 39.6 percent of mobile search clicks, according to Performics, with search trailing just gaming as the second most popular activity on tablets.
According to Performics, mobile clickshare will rise to 28 percent by the summer, helped by the release of iPad 3 and additional Android tablets.
The report also noted that click-through rates (CTRs) for mobile devices and tablets were 45 percent higher than those for computers in January, thanks mostly to the popularity of tablets, which have always had good CTRs, and the significant declines in computer CTRs during the last few months. Nevertheless, revenue per click for search is still slightly higher on desktops than on tablets, with mobile trailing behind.
Though advertisers can increase visibility through mobile organic search, there are some challenges, thanks to the fractured nature of organic mobile search:
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searchers tapping through search engine results pages and dedicated maps platforms
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succinct queries (40 percent with local intent)
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different platforms
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a blend of traditional results with localized results
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