Globally, sponsored search spending continues to grow, with 15 percent percentages in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, according to Kenshoo’s latest Global Search Advertising Trends report. In the US alone, growth compared to the same period last year was 24%.

A large part of that increase comes from mobile devices, as consumers increase their browsing activity and searches on smartphones and tablets. But still, especially in the US, advertisers continue to place a greater emphasis on desktop searches.

Kenshoo has found that in the US, the allocation of advertising spend on sponsored searches to different devices does not match the level of clicks. In the first quarter of 2013, tablets and phones accounted for about 20% of the number of clicks on sponsored searches, but those devices only generated 14% of the spending. The main imbalance takes place in the phone, which represents 9% of the clicks but only 5% of the total expenditure.

In the UK, by comparison, the gap between spending and clicks is noticeably lower, with 28% of clicks originating from mobile devices versus 25% of spending.

As for cost-per-click (CPC) rates, prices continue to decline worldwide, especially in the US, where in the first quarter of 2013 the average price was 38 cents Of the dollar, a significant drop from 47 cents in the 34th quarter of 2012.

Table PCs continue to enjoy significantly higher prices in the US, with 56 cents in the first quarter of 2013, while the phone price was 30 cents. The cost per click on the tablets was centered at 46 cents.

EMarketer expects total spend on this segment of US-sponsored searches. Reaching $ 20 billion in 2017. Spending on the mobile search market tripled last year, according to eMarketer, and is expected to grow another 80 percent this year, to $ 3.6 billion Dollars. By 2017 forecasts are that half of the spending takes place in mobile formats.