Mobile Ads vs. Desktop Ads: Which Are Better For Your Campaign

It’s no secret that mobile and desktop advertising are titans in the advertising world. After all, over 300 million Americans are active internet users. When comparing mobile and desktop ad performance and engagement rates, the question is how they access the internet: through phones or computers? 

For businesses, it's hard to decide what form of advertising is more profitable to focus on, begging the question: Why use mobile advertising over desktop ads or vice versa? The answer depends on your business and advertising goals. Explore mobile ads vs. desktop ads to determine what’s right for your campaign.

12 PROS AND CONS OF MOBILE ADS

Mobile advertising has seen a significant rise in popularity as smartphones have become part of people’s everyday lives. In fact, in 2020, advertisers spent $120 billion on mobile advertising in the US, marking an increase of $21 billion over the previous year. 

This number differs vastly from advertising efforts in 2010 when mobile advertising had just taken off. Global mobile advertising spending during that year came in at around $514 million. Factors that affected the increase in mobile ads included the iPad's creation and the smartphone's rise.

But are mobile ads best for your business? Here are some pros and cons to consider.

7 BENEFITS OF MOBILE ADVERTISING

- Easy to personalize targeting through searches and demographics. 

- It uses tracking features, like geofencing, to create even more customized ads.

- Increases the audience reach as most people carry their phones all the time—73% of people bring their phones into the bathroom with them. 

- People share more about their lives on their phones thanks to social media apps, the most commonly downloaded type of app. 

- Central tracking ID provides information specifically about the owner of the phone. 

- It’s less expensive to make ads on mobile because of the smaller available space.

- Mobile ads are ideal for impulsive buyers, offering convenient mobile payment options.

5 DISADVANTAGES OF MOBILE ADVERTISING

- Increased bounce rate because of accidental clicks and users getting distracted. 

- Smaller ad space means less creativity in ad creation and potential readability issues. 

- Negative virality can happen as quickly as positive. 

- Since no standard size exists on mobile devices, an ad can look good on one device and poor on another. 

- Some people have difficulty navigating mobile sites and will give up easily. 

8 PROS AND CONS OF DESKTOP ADS

Some advertisers may think desktop display advertising is a thing of the past, but that isn’t the case. In 2021, advertisers spent over $54 billion on desktop ads, up from the previous year. 

By contrast, advertisers spent $25 billion on desktop ads in 2010. Many realized they could make better ads by incorporating the user’s experience. These efforts marked the birth of native advertising or ads that feel more like content catered to users.

Should you be using desktop ads too? Here are the pros and cons to consider for your business

4 PROS OF DESKTOP ADVERTISING

- It’s easy to personalize targeting through websites visited, likes on social media, and links clicked. 

- Desktop ads can be a variety of sizes, offering more creative possibilities. 

- Most people find the UI and UX to be better on desktops.

- People tend to spend more time browsing websites on desktops due to the ease of navigation.

4 CONS OF DESKTOP ADVERTISING

- While you can use an IP address as a tracking method, it could come from a shared desktop, thus issuing confusing metrics. 

- A laptop isn’t as portable as a smartphone or tablet, which reduces the potential for ongoing engagement.

- In 2019, one in four Americans used ad blockers on desktops or ignored ads because they were so used to seeing them.

- People share less on social media through desktop sites than mobile devices.

WHICH IS BETTER: MOBILE OR DESKTOP?

Both mobile and desktop are excellent advertising methods, so the answer depends on your unique business needs.

Mobile advertising benefits younger audiences and local companies, especially when using geofencing and location-based targeting features. Mobile is the way to go if a business is looking for and prepared to handle high engagement levels. Mobile is also useful for industries like:

- Real estate 

- Automotive

- Art 

- Entertainment 

- Beauty 

- E-commerce

Desktop advertising often appeals to an older audience and can benefit businesses that need more consistent metrics or offer research-heavy products or services. The risk of accidental clicks drops on desktops vs. mobile usage.

Other industries that desktop advertising is good for include:

• Business

• Law

• Computers

• Education

• Science

• Finance

• Health

• Nutrition

GET HELP WITH MOBILE ADS FROM AGILITY DIGITAL

Partner with Agility Digital to make the most of your mobile advertising efforts. Our programmatic advertising uses geofencing to help narrow the audience without sacrificing any part of your ad. We can get the right ad to the right people at the right time.

Contact us today or check out our blog to learn more about us and what we do for companies like yours.