We ended the day with a great session: Keeping it Local - The Convergence of Phones and Local Search. The panel gave a lot of insight and research to local mobile search including our own Bing mobile expert, Justin Jed, group product manager.

Here are the facts according to Michael Boland, Analyst at the The Kelsey Group.

  • Today Mobile Web use at 63 million US users
  • 50% of all cell phone users are likely to own a smart phone in the next 2 years
  • 35% of all searches will be on mobile by 2013
  • 20% recall rates on mobile search advertising
  • 2% CTR on display ads through Verizon

As cell phone customers upgrade to increasingly popular smart phones, at more accessible price points, and availability of mobile applications, the local mobile search space will increase. Mobile search provides instant answers on the go with relevant local search results for mobile customers.

Here are some tips from Justin Jed for a mobile search plan:

1. Focus on tasks & decisions

2. Users want local relevance

3. Optimize site for mobile experience

You can also find more information on mobile search ads by visiting the Microsoft Advertising Learning Center to read our Mobile Search Ads Overview and campaign help.

More from SES San Jose tomorrow, talk with you then.