Merkle released its second quarter (Q2) 2017 Digital Marketing Report in July – an eagerly anticipated event for every digital marketing agency – and once again Google has recorded excellent year-over-year (YOY) growth in search ad spend. Advertisers spent 23 per cent more in Q2 2017 than in the same period last year, a slightly higher growth rate than Q1 (21 per cent). The world’s leading search engine also reported an 18 per cent YOY increase in ad clicks.
According to Search Engine Land, Google’s Q2 growth can be attributed to several factors, including “de-coupling of tablet and desktop bidding, increased ad load – up to four text ads show on mobile, for example – and the fact that advertisers are getting better returns from these ads and reinvesting in the format.”
Google’s February 2016 decision to eliminate text ads from the right side of search results has contributed to increased ad loads and improved click-through-rates (CTR). Accuracast, a British digital marketing agency, analyzed two-million searches from the 12 months preceding the change and two-million searches from the 12 months following it. The agency found that CTRs for the top four ad spots grew 49 per cent over that period.
Google also continues to dominate mobile search advertising, according to the Merkle report. While both Bing and Yahoo’s search platforms recovered from dismal Q1 results to post modest 3 per cent YOY gains, growth has largely occurred on desktop. Just 22 per cent of all Yahoo Gemini and 12 per cent of Bing Ads clicks were mobile last quarter. Meanwhile, more than half of all Google search ad clicks and 64 per cent of spending growth came on mobile.
As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media understands the value of an expertly planned and carefully managed search engine marketing (SEM) campaign. As Google continues to grow its market share and the SEM environment becomes increasingly competitive, you can count on GrowthEngine Media to keep you visible and relevant.
