MMCF speakers explain Google AdWords features that help raise mobile search effectiveness.

Top spots are available for marketers ready to raise their investments in mobile paid search, speakers at Internet Retailer’s Mobile Marketing & Commerce Forum 2012 in San Diego said this morning.

“It’s like 2004 and 2005 all over again [for desktop paid search],” said Timothy Seward, CEO of search marketing firm ROI Revolution Inc. “There is less cost per click, which means you can afford more top positions. But the cost for clicks is going to go up and the time to get in is now when you can build more momentum for less money.”

Among those following this advice is Colombian lingerie retailer Leonisa SA, which in February launched a mobile-optimized version of its English-language e-commerce site, Leonisa.com. Leonisa’s mobile traffic from paid search ads grew 8% after launching the optimized site, said Victor Yacaman, Leonisa’s e-commerce director. “We need to get stronger while [costs] are small. We don’t want to leave room open for competition.”

To that end, Leonisa is running and tracking the performance of paid search campaigns for mobile and desktop web separately, and highlighting within its mobile search ads the things it thinks will drive more shoppers to click and visit its m-commerce site. It’s also crafting bids that help it win one of the top two spots for paid search ads on Google’s mobile search results pages.

Citing statistics from Google Inc., Seward said separating and customizing campaigns by device can drive an 11.5% increase in click-through rates. A campaign customized for mobile paid search can include such refinements as mobile-friendly keywords, directions to the store nearest the consumer or enabling the consumer to tap a phone number in the text ad to immediately call it. Seward showed screenshots culled from Google AdWords that showed attendees where to find and what to click to enable these features to automatically appear on searches originating from mobile devices.

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Some of the mobile paid search ad refinements that work for Leonisa are links that connect a consumer more deeply into Leonisa.com. For example, some of its mobile paid search ads include links to details about its “fast and free shipping” policy and its 60-day return policy.

Yacaman says the click-through rate for Leonisa’s mobile ads is four times higher than its click-through rate for ads served on desktop or laptop computers. In September, for example, the mobile click-through rate was 4.8% versus 1.14% for desktop ads. The conversion rate for shoppers clicking through from mobile paid search was 0.89%, lower than the 2.68% rate for desktop, but Yacaman has aims to raise the mobile conversion rate. “We are going to get to a 1% conversion target for mobile,” he said. 

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