Remember Johnny Carson? For decades he had late night television all to himself, the reigning king of the 11:30 p.m. slot during the 60s, 70s and the early 80s.
Now look at that same time slot. You have Fallon, Kimmel, Colbert, Conan, Trevor Noah and others – all feeding at the same late night trough.
Something similar may be happening in the online paid search advertising market. But this time, Apple Computer itself may be may be jumping into the fray.
Look up and look around – how many people do you see using a smartphone these days? More and more. Indeed, searches for home improvement solutions on mobile devices are skyrocketing as well. Homeowners – even the 50+ set – are now searching online using their smartphones with astounding frequency.
So, it makes sense that Apple, the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, may be turning its attention to a multi-billion dollar opportunity…paid search advertising.
For years, Google hosted 75% of the country’s searches, followed by Yahoo and Bing for the next 20+%, and then a host of also-rans picking up the balance. Now, Apple has taken its first step with a search offering which could eventually change all that.
Launched on October 5th, Apple Search Ads now appear only in Apple’s App Store. Much like Google, bidding is PPT (“Pay Per Tap”, rather than “Pay Per Click”) and based on users’ search terms. Advertisers can target based on device, audience and time of day. It’s actually very similar to Google’s AdWords targeting system.
Apple’s announcement is a big (and predictable) swing at Google. Yet, it is way too soon to know if Apple’s offering will be a hit or a miss. Some have speculated that Apple Search Ads is simply an initial controlled test, and that Apple will continue to roll out more paid search options for other iOS features.
For home improvement companies, Apple Search Ads could eventually emerge as some solid competition for Google. The more users search on terms on which you’re bidding, the more exposure your ads get – regardless of what search engine is used. And if Apple’s entry into the paid search arena increases total searches, that extra volume means more leads and more sales for everyone.
Apple’s new offering won’t have an immediate effect on your online advertising. But I would put my money on Apple looking into the paid search market as a new area of growth.
And while I love Google, plenty of good can come from having added options (Adventures in Snackology) and choices (Wheel of Impressions with Kevin Spacey).
