13.4% of all paid search clicks now coming from mobile and tablet devices

It was discovered that the average click through rate (CTR) for mobile campaigns increased from 4.7% in Q3 to 5.7% in Q4 as the holiday season drove buying interest, compared to desktop rising from 2.9% in Q3 to 3.2% in Q4, with tablet levels unchanged.

Duncan Fisher, digital media director at Latitude, said: “Nearly half of the UK population now has access to mobile web. Our research confirms that businesses need to think about their mobile strategies, not today but yesterday.”

The research found that in Q4 there was an average cost per click (CPC) of 26p from mobile, compared to 31p from tablet and 37p from desktop.

Latitude said it did, however, observe falling CPCs for tablet and desktops between Q3 and Q4, a trend that occurred in several sectors, notably retail and gaming, and was possibly a result of rising searches in the holiday season leading to volume discounts for advertisers.

Competition for Tablet clicks in the gaming and home renovation sectors made average CPCs higher than desktop, while the legal sector in particular appears to have an opportunity for significantly cheaper clicks from mobile.

Alex Hoye, CEO of Latitude, said: “Whereas 2011 was the year Mobile truly arrived and broke into the mainstream, we predict that the end of 2012 will see an estimated 7% of all website visits come through Tablet.

“Smartphone and Tablet are estimated to represent 20% of all Paid Search clicks by end of 2012. At this rate it’s clear that mobile will provide the majority of traffic – it is not a question of if, but when. Not only does this mean it is vital for businesses to get their mobile strategies right, but it also sets a challenge for businesses and marketers to remain prominent with the most relevant messaging, as the consumer moves between screens.”