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Google Anticipates Surge In Smartphone Search For Holidays

Greg Sterling on November 1, 2012 at 3:33 pm

Earlier this morning I wrote a post about how most search marketers were failing to utilize mobile paid search and/or not following mobile best practices. Failing to “get your act together” (from a mobile standpoint) could be costly for marketers of all sizes this holiday season.

There have already been a dozen or so surveys that basically show consumers anticipate using their smartphones more often or more aggressively as part of their holiday shopping. Google echoed this today with a blog post that argued smartphone-based search will be even more pronounced this year, especially around heavy shopping days: Thanksgiving, so-called Black Friday, Cyber Monday and beyond.

Describing the chart above, which depicts mobile search activity over the 2012 Labor Day holiday, Google said the following:

Searches on smartphones were 7% higher compared to those on a typical Monday, and searches on tablets jumped by 25%. But perhaps more interestingly, clicks on mobile ads spiked even more dramatically in comparison to other average days.

In its post Google provides a set of recommendations for marketers to get ready for the holiday mobile search onslaught:

Make sure that you have campaigns or new ad text for your holiday promotions or messages.
Increase your budget cap on holidays to account for additional clicks.
Adopt an always-on strategy to make sure your budget lasts throughout the day. Consumers are researching and shopping at any time throughout the day and you should make sure you can be found.
Segment your historic campaign performance by device to understand how people interact with you across different devices like smartphones and tablets, and tweak your campaigns accordingly to capitalize.
Expand keyword lists to include holiday-related terms and ensure you have keyword parity between your desktop and mobile campaigns so you’re reaching potential customers regardless of what device they’re using.

Google has also in the past provided general mobile website best practices information. Marketers would do well to heed the advice.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.