• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 21, 2016

Kenshoo has released data estimating that among its clients, paid-search impressions rose 8% in Q4 2015, compared with the prior quarter, and 12% year-over-year. The company's numbers suggest that paid- search clicks rose 13% and 32%, and paid-search click-through rates rose 5% and 17%, respectively.

The Kenshoo Digital Marketing Snapshot: Q4 2015 report highlights changes in social and search advertising, and the shift in performance for marketers.

Google Product Listing Ads accounted for 26% of all paid-search impressions after accounting for only 8% last year. Mobile continued to serve as the primary growth driver in both channels, and accounted for nearly all of the 8% spend growth in paid search YoY.

"We believe 4Q search data points have been relatively strong, with growth being driven by adoption of Product Listings Ads (PLAs) and mobile growth," Raymond James Equity Analyst Aaron Kessler wrote in a research note.

Kessler compares Kenshoo's data with RKG Merkle, which reported solid fourth-quarter growth of about 21% YoY -- as well as IgnitionOne's 4Q Digital Marketing Report, which states that Google search spend rose 18% YoY, driven by a jump in impressions and strength in shopping ads and mobile.

Marketers also spent more on social ads -- 50% YoY, driven by Facebook Dynamic Product Ads and Instagram ads, per Kenshoo's report.

Kenshoo also notes that for U.S. retailers during the 2015 holidays paid search rose 13% YoY, PLAs rose 33% YoY, mobile search rose 93% YoY, and mobile PLAs rose 11% YoY.

The analysis from Kenshoo -- search and social -- is based on five quarters of performance data from more than 3,000 Kenshoo advertiser and agency accounts across 20 vertical industries and over 60 countries, spanning Google, Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, Yahoo Japan and the Facebook Audience Network. The sample includes more than 550 billion impressions, 11 billion clicks and $6 billion (USD) in advertiser spend from Kenshoo clients.