Search and the mobile web

Recent years have seen a huge growth in users accessing the Internet through their mobile phones and this growth is expected to continue at an even faster rate.

By 2013 it is predicted (Gartner Survey) that the number of searches made from smart phones will overtake the number of searches made from PCs and already we are seeing half of all new Internet connections made via mobiles. Research has shown that people spend 31% of time accessing the Internet via a mobile device and that three quarters of mobile phone users won’t leave home without their mobile.

This growing importance makes it imperative that the mobile device is seriously considered as part of your advertising mix, and with search there are three different advertising options available:

• Search
• Web display
• App display

With 50% of mobile Internet users starting their session with a search, it is important not to miss out on this traffic. By activating mobile search you will in fact be complimenting your PC campaigns as Google statistics show high usage during the daily commute to and from work, lunch breaks and weekends.

What's more, the way in which people use their mobile phone to search is different to that when searching from a PC in an office or at home. There is a need for fast, usable information about the location and contact details of things around them. For this reason mobile marketing activities, including search PPC, need to be planned separately.

As well as allowing you to achieve incremental reach, mobile devices also allow you new opportunities within search that offer strong direct response value:

1. Click-to-Call allows users to call you directly from your mobile ad in addition to having the option of clicking through to your site. The result of this is that you will receive a call for the same price as a click which, as you know, is much more valuable.

2. Click-to-Download is an additional response feature which allows a user to directly download your app, again for the cost of a click.

3. You also have the opportunity to target users based on their location, so if they search for a ‘Travel Agent’ an ad for your local store can be displayed.

It is important that your mobile campaigns are managed very carefully to ensure you maximise return. At Conrad Advertising we create individual campaigns, with separate bids and budgets, bespoke keywords and ad text while tracking our clients' accounts at keyword level.