Search Engine Marketing: Finding Santa's Helpers

Time-of-day search behavior via mobile complements desktop search behavior. Last holiday, Performics analyzed time-of-day search activity by device the week before Thanksgiving. It found, not surprisingly, that searchers rely on mobile devices when they're away from their work desks. More interestingly, it found that mobile impressions peaked during the morning commute and early lunch hours, but mobile clicks didn't peak until after work (6 p.m. – 9 p.m.). This indicates that consumers perform mobile searches for different purposes at different times of day — searching for content earlier and completing transactions later. Retailers should conduct a similar analysis to determine the best hours to run aggressive mobile promotions this holiday season.