Mobile is Mainstream; Brands Must be on Board!

According to Search Engine Land, an analysis of the mobile traffic of a cross section of marketers revealed that up to 25-30% of all paid search traffic is now mobile. If PPC didn’t work on the mobile platform, there would no longer be a demand for it; so now, more than ever, it is imperative to invest in a mobile PPC campaign. But what differentiates mobile PPC from the traditional web variety? Here are some mobile search campaign tips from our PPC agency:

Put mobile first. That is, you should put mobile first if, upon analyzing your traffic, you find that the majority of your traffic comes from mobile devices. That doesn’t mean you abandon your traditional PPC campaign, but it does mean you need to ramp up your effort in the mobile market if a large portion of your traffic comes from mobile. A good PPC firm can help you target the mobile audience effectively.

Make your campaigns specific to the device. Your mobile campaign is a little different from the PPC you may be used to. Different devices operate differently, so it is important to build tablet- and smartphone-specific campaigns that target each operating system (this is called OS targeting or device-specific targeting). For example, you should target iPhone users with different keywords than Windows Mobile Phone or Android users.

Think beyond brand keywords. It’s not enough to have a small presence on mobile with a few standard brand keywords. Try to get inside the head of the user and consider the semantics they will use when typing in a search phrase. Turn those phrases into keywords for your mobile PPC campaign. It will most likely pay off better than using the same old standards.

Build a good mobile site or mobile app. This should go without saying, but unfortunately, some marketers are still struggling to understand the concept of a mobile website as opposed to a site built for desktop use. Research shows that mobile-friendly sites are still low on the priority list for many marketers. But if you know enough to invest in a mobile PPC campaign, you know that if users click your ad, the site or application they eventually land on should be one that works for them. Make sure you hire a good mobile web design or mobile app development firm to build the right mobile presence for your business.

PPC will turn 15 next year; it was born around the time that mobile phones were still on the verge of going mainstream and the mobile web was virtually non-existent. Who would’ve thought back then that we’d ever be talking about mobile PPC? But here we are. Make sure you embrace the change to the fullest by investing in a mobile PPC campaign and running a mobile-friendly website, with the help of a good mobile web design and PPC firm.