Chantilly, Va.—Local search volume on mobile devices will surpass searches on computers for the first time in 2015, and by 2016 will surpass computer local searches by more than 27 billion annual queries, according to a report by media research company BIA/Kelsey.
As mobile local search queries rise, so will related advertising revenues. BIA/Kelsey forecasts mobile local search revenues to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 160.4%, from $400 million in 2011 to $3.2 billion in 2016. However, marketers continue to spend more on desktop local search; BIA/Kelsey forecasts that computer-based local search will grow 12.1% to $10.2 billion by 2016.
The company said desktop search expenditures will continue to lead for a time as advertisers catch up with the growing ad inventory available for mobile devices.
