Mobile search could overtake desktop as soon as next year…in ad dollars that is

Stop for a moment and think about how many searches you do on a mobile device, as opposed to a desktop. Now think about the fact that there are about 2-billion smartphone subscribers around the globe. It should hardly be suprising then that, as of 2015, ad-spend on mobile search will likely overtake desktop.

That’s according to a new report from online marketing research firm eMarketer, which shows that majority of spend, organic traffic and paid clicks comes from smartphones and tablets, surpassing traditional desktop/laptop search activity.

Read more: Local mobile search is on the up, so what’s everyone looking for?

Desktop-based search advertising will however continue to claim a superior return on investment (ROI) to mobile.

According to eMarketer, this is something that’s likely to continue for the next few years and will only improve once “mobile performance measurement, particularly in relation to the impact on sales in physical stores, gets more precise”.

That day will inevitably come however, especially as smartphones become more ubiquitous in emerging markets, where they are even more likely to be the default search device.