A third of all paid search spend went to mobile in the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 180 percent year-over-year. Mobile search volume rose 120 percent. That’s according to Covario’s quarterly analysis, which covers clients in high tech, consumer electronics and retail.
Search media spend on smartphones eclipsed that of tablet for the first time in Q3. Covario clients spent 18 percent of their search budgets on smartphones in Q3, compared to 15 percent on tablets. Desktop, though shrinking, still dominated with 67 percent spend share.
Costs-per-click (CPCs) on mobile continued to be discounted: 59 percent lower than on desktop and 31 percent lower than tablet CPCs in the third quarter. Mobile CPCs fell 8 percent, both from Q2 2014 and Q3 2013, even as click volume growth outpaced mobile impression growth.
Global Paid Search Spend Increased By 28 Percent Y/Y
Overall, global search spend rose 28 percent compared to Q3 2013 and by 16 percent quarter-over-quarter. CPCs were off by 8 percent (same as the mobile CPC decline), as a result of the increase in mobile search traffic. Click volume increased by 39 percent over last year and click-through rates rose 16 percent year-over-year.
Spend on Google Shopping, no surprise, also increased. Covario clients posted a 154 percent increase year-over-year in spend on product listing ads. Search volume (impressions) on PLAs rose 171 percent from the previous year.
In the Americas, search media spend increased by 26 percent compared to the previous year, driven by the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chile and Brazil.
Search budgets in the are rebounding as well. Spend rose by 42 percent year-over-year and by 17 percent from the previous quarter.
APAC also saw growth, but slower than the other regions at 9 percent year-over-year and 6 percent quarter-over-quarter.
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