Trends on Tuesday: The State of Mobile Search

Mobile searching has become a fact of life. According to a recent study by Econsultancy, 67% of smartphone owners had used their device to search for information in the past 7 days. The infographic below describes what they are searching for–the majority of searches are for arts, events and news.

Last year Google predicted that mobile search will overtake the desktop search over the next few years as tablet and smartphone growth continue to surge, doubling every 2 years.

According to Google’s Mobile Search Moments Study, 40% of mobile searches have a local focus, with 77% of mobile searches occurring at home or at work and, 17% taking place while users are on the go. Shopping queries are twice as likely to take place while the user is in a store.

It is important to take this information into account when optimizing websites and thinking mobile first so that constituents, vendors, employees, and stakeholders can access your information, anytime, anywhere.

By Lisa Wilcox, U.S. Department of Agriculture