Google has announced new options for its AdWords advertisers that will allow them to show desktop ads on mobile phones with full HTML internet browsers. Advertisers now have the option to include ads solely on computers or mobile phones, and the choice to display on both. The new option - a simple tick box in the AdWords account page - means advertisers can run mobile specific campaigns and can receive discrete performance reporting. Any currents campaigns will, by default, be set up to run on both.
Google also offers mobile ads that show up on searches made by people using WAP browsers on their phones. These are shorter ads that send clickers to a mobile webpage. With full HTML internet browsers - as found on the iPhone, G1 and a small number of similar handsets - there is no need for a mobile webpage as users will be sent straight to desktop landing pages. As more phones start to support full browsers, these will automatically show ads set up for mobiles.
A huge increase in mobile internet users is being seen at the moment. Internet research firm eMarketer estimates that there are 405 million mobile internet users worldwide, with this number set to double within four years and last month we heard that UK mobile internet is growing 8 times as fast as conventional PC internet.
What's more, according to the New York Times, the iPhone was the leading source of mobile traffic to Google in January of this year so this move by Google, which was rumoured earlier in the year, is seen as the logical step to stay on top of the online advertising world.
