By Nuria Gonzalez

YNOT – The mobile phone was the most popular Christmas gift in 2010 and 2011, and tablet computers are the big thing on this year’s Christmas lists. There couldn’t be a better time to transform your casual dating business, or launch one, by going mobile this festive season.

If you’re an experienced online casual dating veteran, you’ll know from experience that searches and pay-per-click traffic shoot up from Boxing Day onwards. The first week of January generally is the best of the year, setting the bar for the months to follow: The volume of impressions and clicks received in January gives us an idea of which search volumes to expect thereafter. Singles looking for a companion, whether for the long or short term, are eager to achieve their goal from Day One and are more likely to pay for membership so they can do so. After all, New Year’s resolutions are intended to last for more than a month!

The ratio of searches for “dating” always peaks during the second fortnight of December, and there is an acute turning point in campaign impressions, clicks and conversions, according to the data warehouse. This year, we seem to be experiencing a point of inflexion for those searches earlier than usual; this may translate as promising prospects for the beginning of the year in the dating sector.

Moreover, terms like “iPad,” “tablet” and “iPhone” are showing high purchase intent in the weeks during the run up to Christmas Eve. Once those intentions materialize into actual purchases, we can expect to see an increase in the mobile search and conversions share. With ever-increasing competition amongst advertisers, PPC mobile campaigns are set to become more targeted and aggressive than ever before. Make sure you’re prepared.

From a marketer’s perspective, December is also the time to think about New Year’s resolutions for yourself: Look back on data from 2012, plan ahead and get your campaigns ready to reach those people looking for a partner. If you want your casual dating business to be a success, go mobile, go niched, go local. Make sure you target the correct user, with the most accurate message, on the right device.

Nuria Gonzalez is a PPC specialist at Casual.WhiteLabelDating.com, where she oversees the paid search activity of international dating websites channel millions in revenue annually.

Launched in 2003, WhiteLabelDating.com is a multiple-award-winning adult dating platform powering more than 7,600 dating sites internationally for webmasters, affiliates and publishers. The company provides the software, membership database, payment processing, customer support, hosting and infrastructure; clients provide their brand, website design and marketing.