Mobile marketing technology is becoming more sophisticated and gives brands new opportunities for pay-per-click advertising. It’s expected that mobile marketing will continue to become more prevalent as users move toward searching on the go rather than searching on desktop computers. A recent study prepared by Marin Software investigated the performance of paid search advertising on mobile and tablet devices in Q2 2012, and preliminary results indicate that PPC advertising campaigns may perform better on tablets and smartphones.

Paid search clicks on mobile marketing platforms increasing

The report indicated that the share of paid clicks from PPC advertising on mobile marketing platforms rose from 14 percent to 18 percent, with the share resulting in a near even split between smartphones (10 percent) and tablets (8 percent).

Tablet usage on search engines continues to grow with a staggering 33 percent improvement in its share of paid search clicks in the second quarter, providing insight into the popularity of mobile technology such as Apple’s 3^rd generation iPad.

Mobile vs. Desktops: which PPC advertising platform has better metrics?

In addition to gaining a larger paid search market share, PPC advertising on mobile devices showed considerable growth with increased performances in average click through rates and cost per clicks. In fact, cost per click averages were 18 percent lower on mobile platforms than on their desktop counterparts, providing a more cost effective solution for PPC advertising. Click through rates were also 44 percent higher on mobile marketing paid search campaigns, an indication that user search behaviour changes depending on the technology being used. Tailoring unique ads for mobile campaigns is now a necessity for brands that want higher conversion rates on both search engine platforms.

Search engine performance: Google vs. Bing

So which search engines perform better for PPC advertising? The answer is all of them. Over the course of a year, the share of clicks and impressions on Google’s mobile platform increased 13 percent and 10 percent respectively, whereas Bing/Yahoo saw a growth of 14 percent in paid search click volume. Google still proves to be the biggest and most effective platform for advertisers to exploit both search engine and display ad marketing opportunities.

Mobile Ubiquity 

Marketing professionals will need to continue investing in mobile marketing to further their reach across multiple platforms. The ubiquity of mobile technology is a key component for marketing professionals to leverage for various campaigns. In particular, local brands now have the advantage of targeting mobile users on the go to drive in foot traffic through paid search. Numerous studies have predicted that mobile search will surpass traditional desktop search by 2015 or 2016, which is why it’s vital for your brand to embrace the next era in digital marketing.