As mobile surpasses desktop in search queries, Adwords announces new mobile-friendly ad formats

In our last blog post (Mobile Has Surpassed Desktop), Google has officially announced that mobile search queries are now dominant over desktop search. Google has informed us that only mobile searches and mobile apps are being referred to as “mobile searches.” Tablets and iPads are being grouped together with desktop queries.

This is a new turning point in digital advertising as mobile has replaced desktop in 10 countries thus far, including the US and Japan. Kraus Marketing has been on the forefront of these new trends and has mobile-focused strategies aimed at the latest updates we are seeing from Google.

One of the biggest changes for all marketers is that the purchase funnel idea (the idea of learning about a product through the process of buying that said product) is no longer viable. Consumers using mobile searches are looking for information quickly and in short spans, being referred to as “micro-moments.” To break this down even further, being relevant and quick with information is replacing the idea of brand loyalty when it comes to mobile behaviors. This means that marketers must be able to include a micro-moments strategy to integrate with their branding and other digital/traditional strategies.

What’s changed in Adwords?

Google released a statement saying that new ad formats would be offered across three different verticals: automotive, hotel and mortgages.

Automotive Ads

Over 50% of automotive searches occur on mobile devices (Source: VP of Product Mgmt – Adwords). In response to this, Adwords is releasing two new ad types for the automotive vertical:

• Automotive ads for OEMs
• Dealer ads

How the new ad format works in Adwords is comparable to a carousel. Users can swipe through both interior and exterior images of the vehicle. When a consumer taps on an image, they are brought to a page with more information in regards to the vehicle. If the user taps on the “dealer” part of the link, the landing pages shows a user a set of three ads that list nearby dealership listings for that vehicle.

As of now, this ad option is only available via mobile devices and not on desktops.

Hotel Ads

Google created a new ad format that appears on both mobile and desktop for hotels and the ad format is rolling out globally. Hotels are able to provide informational pages and “Room Booking” ads that can be served from both the hotel itself and third-party vendors such as Expedia and Travelocity.

Mortgage Ads

Mortgage query searches are high-volume searches on mobile devices. The end results of these searches have been less than satisfactory according to the Adwords VP. Google is launching Google Compare, which will allow the end user to compare different mortgage rates from different companies. Also, users will be able to review different criteria common to the mortgage industry such as fees, loan terms and even the interest rate per loan. With this new compare product, users can directly apply for the loan or call the company directly from this ad.

At Kraus Marketing, we are always on the forefront of understanding the latest updates from Google and other big media sources. We have a team of highly qualified individuals who are search engine optimization specialists and can help you get a better ROI for your brand. To learn more about how Kraus Marketing can help you, visit our website at www.KrausMarketing.com or call us at (973) 998-5742.