1 in 10 Search Ad Clicks is via Mobile

It’s no wonder Google executives are so bullish on mobile. One large search ad buying firm reports that across its client base mobile is now 10 percent of all impressions and clicks.

Crossing into double digits is a big deal for mobile search, as it moves from an afterthought to a real driver of traffic. Performics, the search agency that’s part of Publicis Groupe, reported its clients saw mobile account for 10.2 percent of all search ad impressions in March. Perhaps more importantly, mobile search ad clicks were 9.8 percent of overall clicks.

The trajectory shows this trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon, according to Performics analyst James Beveridge. He anticipates mobile search ad clicks will cross the 10 percent threshold when April’s stats are compiled. Mobile clicks grew in the first quarter over 230 percent from the same period a year earlier.

These trends squarely stand to benefit Google, which is possibly even more dominant in mobile than it is in desktop, thanks to its development of the Android operating system. One estimate last July put it at a staggering 98.3 percent. It’s just as telling that the Performics data was entirely drawn from Adwords.

Perhaps the only fly in the ointment is mobile search garners slightly fewer clicks than desktop searches. This could be for many reasons, including the continued dearth of advertisers with proper mobile-enabled websites. The positive spin is mobile click costs are quite low compared to desktop, averaging 42.1 percent lower, according to Performics.

Further stats are available on the Performics blog.