Tablets see better click through rates, finds Marin search study

Paid search ads on tablet computers achieve 37% higher click through rates than on desktops according to the Paid Search Quarterly Benchmarking Report from Marin Software.

Paid search ads on tablet computers achieve 37% higher click through rates than on desktops according to the Paid Search Quarterly Benchmarking Report from Marin Software.

The study of third quarter paid search trends found ads directed specifically at tablets remains low, accounting for just 2% of overall paid search spend.

But it was found that advertiser targeting tablets like the iPad are seeing 29% lower average cost per click when compared to both desk tops and mobile.

Ed Stevenson, managing director EMEA and APAC at Marin Software, said: “As peoples’ desktop browsing habits carry over to devices like the iPad we anticipate advertisers will shift spend and ad strategy accordingly.

“To achieve the best results, advertisers will need to develop specific programs for each device type.”

The benchmarking report found paid search spend targeted to desktops accounted for 93% of total spend while smartphones stood at 5% and tablets 2%.

Looking at search engines specifically the report found click through rates from Google have increased 57% in the quarter while cost per click was down 18%.

Marin said this suggested “large-scale advertisers realised efficiency gains through improved matching and more effective bidding”.

Google also saw a 19% increase in clicks and a 24% drop in impressions during the quarter.  Yahoo and Bing drove a 43% increase in click volume at 10% lower cost per click compared to the third quarter of 2010.

Click through rates were up 9% on quarter two. Marin reported a move to exact match bidding suggesting improved efficiencies for advertisers.

The benchamrk reports is based on data from Marin’s global client base of 800 customers across the world’s largest advertisers and agencies, that collectively spend more than $2 billion annually on paid-search