Google Agency Partners Mobile Insights
Having just returned to the office from Google HQ in London, I thought I’d let you into some of the Mobile Insights I gained today!
We were one of a handful of Google Partner Agencies invited to Google today for a workshop on Mobile Advertising Insights.
Let me start by saying that the welcome pack was awesome – as usual. I’m not sure what one of the gifts actually is, but I’m sure it’s cool and I’m bound to need it at some point in the future!
So after stuffing my face with various delicious sandwiches it was back to business. Mobile business that is…it’s a big topic and it’s growing by the day.
Key Insights
One of the key figures that stood out to me was that 70% of mobile searches occur in places where users have access to another device such as a desktop or laptop.
Gone are the days that people only used mobiles whilst out and about to look up a phone number or answer a question, mobiles are often used in conjunction with other devices even when at home whilst watching the TV. It’s interesting to note more and more individuals are using mobiles for research and purchasing.
The average UK household currently owns 3.1 devices, and we use two at a time more often than not.
It has never been more important to have a mobile optimised website and by that, I mean, a site that actually works effectively on a mobile device, not just a site that has been tweaked to fit a mobile screen. The concept of ‘mobile first’ really is a must.
Statistics for 2024 show that only 39% of people who use mobiles for researching in the first instance then complete the conversion on a smartphone, the others complete the conversion on a desktop or offline.
When it comes to mobile strategy for paid search there are 3 main quick wins, follow these and you will be ahead of the crowd:
1. Be there
- Do your research (see tools section below for tips)
- Make sure you are using mobile bidding strategies to appear in the top 2 spots as users don’t scroll and have far less patience on a mobile!
2. Be relevant
- Make use of Sitelinks, they can increase your CTR by 10% – 20%
- Make use of call extensions, they can increase your CTR by 6% – 8%
- Use location extensions, which will help you measure your footfall
3. Be optimised
- Having a mobile optimised site is essential, with 77% of consumers being more likely to buy on a mobile optimised site and 40% turning to a competitor after a bad mobile experience, you really can’t afford not to have an optimised mobile site
A few other tips I took away from today include:
- Remarket to mobile users
- Take a look at cross device conversions in Google Analytics
- You can now measure in app conversions, if you have an app, make sure you set this up
Quick tips for mobile optimised sites:
- Design efficient forms with streamlined entry
- Make it easy for the user to finish the conversion on another device
- Make site search visible and ensure results are relevant (for ecommerce)
- Let users check out as a guest (for ecommerce)
- Keep call to actions front and centre (for lead gen)
- Ensure there is a click to call for complex task for when users get stuck (for lead gen)
Mobile strategy research tools
- Mobile in the purchase journey – lets you explore mobile data using an interactive tool
- Our mobile planet – allows you to create custom charts to deepen your understanding of the mobile consumer
- Google Ads keyword planner – research search terms using device segmentation
- Google Ads auction insights – check out how your current keywords are doing on mobile devices
- Google Analytics – try analysing your current mobile traffic and how it interacts with your site
- Page speed insights – Shows you the load speed of a website (on desktop and mobile), allowing you to see what is slowing your site down