LONDON: Marketers in EMEA generated the highest click-through rate (CTR) on record for the region in the first quarter of 2014 while mobile devices accounted for almost one-third (31%) of paid search spend in the UK, new data has revealed.

Based on analysis of more than 45bn search engine ad impressions, the Kenshoo Search Advertising Trends Q1 2014 report found CTR across the region rose 29% year-on-year, which helped to raise spend by 2% and advertiser revenue by 6%.

The infographic from Kenshoo, a specialist digital media firm, commended EMEA marketers for successfully tailoring their messages to engage consumers while also noting that the average cost-per-click (CPC) in the region is now €0.35.

"The rise in CTRs in EMEA underlines the strength of paid search for marketers in the region. It's down to the fact that marketers are getting more sophisticated in their use of the paid search advertising, tailoring their messaging to engage and captivate consumers," said Rob Coyne, Kenshoo's managing director, EMEA.

Germany had one of the lowest CPC rates in the region, the report found. Even though the CPC rate in Germany rose 14% year-on-year to €0.28, it was still much cheaper than the €0.84 recorded in Finland, and was lower than the UK's CPC of €0.38 and the €0.34 in France.

In other findings covering the UK, search advertising share of spend and clicks from mobile devices stood at 31% each in Q1 2014 while CPC rates for mobile phones caught up with tablets so that both had a CPC rate of €0.34 over the quarter.

Data sourced from Kenshoo; additional content by Warc staff