The dramatic increase in smartphone use has many consumers glued to their screens. As a result, digital marketers are increasingly shifting their budgets to mobile initiatives. While mobile-friendly marketing isn’t a new concept, the shift to a mobile-first ad strategy is seemingly picking up for many brands.

Advertisers Are Spending More Today In Mobile Search Than In Recent Years

While history has shown desktop to be the reigning champ in the search landscape, mobile is inching closer and closer toward achieving the same level of advertising spend. Factors like the growing number of mobile devices – from smartphones to tablets – and recent research from Google showing mobile searchers have a higher buyer intent are just two of many reasons behind advertisers increased investment in mobile search.

Although mobile search spend is expected to fall short of desktop search spend again in 2020, mobile search is predicted to take the dominant share of overall search spend in 2021.

Advertising Revenue Trends Are Trailing Consumer Trends

According to eMarketer, among all the digital activities tracked throughout recent years, search is ranked second only to email, with an estimated 242.5 million internet users in the U.S. executing searches each month in 2019. That significant number of searchers is expected to rise to 246.4 million by the end of 2020, with almost all of smartphone users and nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population expected to conduct their searches via smartphones.

Mobile Search Volume Highest For Food & Beverage Searches

While all advertisers should take note of the opportunity to better leverage mobile search, certain industries can best benefit from a mobile-first strategy. More than half of all searches for food and beverage, automotive, health and medical, sports, gambling, news and media, lifestyle, music and government were conducted with mobile devices based on 2019 data.

Staying in touch with consumer trends is essential for brands looking to engage their target audiences on the media they’re currently using. While mobile search ad spend has scaled, there is still room for advertisers to better leverage this channel.

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