CTR for Search Ads Trumps CTR for Display Ads in Q4 2011
According to a report from xAd, click-through rates (CTR) for search ads outperformed CTR for display ads in the fourth quarter of 2011. Also included in the report is the finding that mobile search activity peaks at the end of the workweek.
“Mobile-Local Search Stats: Q4 2011” found that mobile local search requests (not including display traffic) on xAd’s network grew 60 percent quarter-over-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2011.
In the fourth quarter, 77 percent of mobile searchers accessed local information via their smartphones, while the remaining 23 percent accessed non-local information. In the third quarter, the split was 75 percent/25 percent.
According to xAd, in-app search grew 41 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, compared to the 34 percent growth in browser access during the same time period.
“Despite that trend, mobile browsers are still the primary access method for local-search information among all mobile users; however, when looking at app versus browser search per iOS and Android users, in-app access is preferred by a large margin over in-browser access,” according to the report.
Restaurants was the top search category for mobile users in the fourth quarter, according to xAd. Gas Stations, Shopping, Auto, Home & Garden, Law & Finance, Health & Medical, Beauty Salons, Travel, and Club & Bar followed behind.
The report noted that the average CTR for targeted local search was 7 percent in the fourth quarter, while the average CTR for targeted local display was 0.6 percent.
Of those who click on targeted local search ads, 37 percent proceed to access additional information, also called “secondary actions.” This figure was 5 percent for those who click on targeted local display ads.
“Relying on clicks alone can be misleading in mobile advertising versus desktop, partly because a higher CTR is often considered the result of accidental clicks that are more prevalent on limited mobile screens,” xAd noted in its report. “But secondary actions reveal additional postclick activities that correlate into mobile-ad engagement.”
On xAd’s network, 52 percent of search ads yield calls to local businesses following the initial click, compared to 30 percent for locally targeted display ads. Meanwhile, 42 percent of search ads yield maps and/or driving directions, compared to 50 percent for display ads. Five percent of search ads yield requests for more information, compared to 20 percent of display ads (along with reviews).
xAd also noted that display ads peak at around 6 p.m. EST and remain steady until after 10 p.m. EST, “a timeframe during which people are more apt to connect with friends, surf the Web, catch up on news, etc.” Search ads, on the other hand, peak around 11 a.m. EST.
In the fourth quarter, search activity peaked on Friday and was lowest on Sunday. For display, the peak was Thursday and the low point was Friday.
New York was the top mobile search city in the fourth quarter, followed by Los Angeles; Redmond, Wash.; Chicago; and San Francisco.
Houston was the top mobile display city, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
Source:
http://www.xad.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/xAd-Quarterly-Report_Q4-2011.pdf
