mobile search

Most people nowadays simply ignore the importance of mobile search.  I don’t quite ‘get’ it.  Why would you ignore the one method that over 50% of the people in the world are searching for your site?

How people search on their mobile phones is dramatically different than how they search on their computers.

Here are the differences in a nutshell:

“1. Mobile is highly local

Mobile searchers have a higher tendency to be doing searches with a local intent.

Exactly how much higher is up for debate. Last May, Google’s Marissa Mayer was quoted saying that 40% of all mobile searches are local. Microsoft has said that 53% of mobile searches on Bing have a local intent. An earlier estimate of 33% local was frequently repeated throughout 2010.

Whatever figure we choose to cite, we know that people on mobile devices are seeking things around them. After all, mobile gives us a unique opportunity to be simultaneously online and out in the world.

We use our devices to navigate throughout the physical world: Where’s the closest parking garage? What’s the best breakfast place around here? Where can I post this package for my nephew?

If you’ve got local content or content that can be localized, optimize it for mobile.

2. Mobile is focused and timely

It may seem counter-intuitive at first glance, but the average mobile search on Android and iPhone has roughly double the keywords than the average desktop search.

The interface is smaller on mobile but mobile searchers are more task focused and highly specific in what they’re seeking.

Consider the following data from Microsoft: 70% of PC search tasks are completed in one week, while 70% of mobile search tasks are done in one hour.

While someone shopping on their desktop computer takes on average a week to take action while someone on their mobile takes on average an hour. Talk about acceleration!

This difference in time to purchase has very real implications in retail. Mobile users are looking for information or assistance to help them make buying decisions literally right at the point of sale.

Consumers searching on a mobile device will make a purchase within 24 hours, while desktop searchers will buy over a longer period of time.

As a result, marketers need to employ specific search tactics for each platform. For example, on mobile search landing pages, offer very specific information about products and create clear calls to action on the web and on the phone.

Implementing click-to-call functionality is a great option here. That mobile searcher is ready to act so harness their intent with a small number of clear actions

3. Mobile search increases steadily throughout the day

Over the course of a day, hourly usage trends vary based on device types. Google Mobile Ads analyzed searches from tablets, PCs and mobile devices and found that searches from computers broadly reflected time spent at work. Activity increases at 9 am and drops off at 5 pm.

In contrast, tablet searches happen after work with a sharp spike in the evening hours between 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.

And smartphones?

Searches on smartphones grow steadily throughout the day, rival desktop search in the early evening and peak around 9:00 p.m.

While both tablets and smartphones can be ‘lean back’ devices, used in combination with other media while sitting on the couch in the evening, smartphones alone are used on the go throughout the day and combine searches with both professional and personal intentions.

4. Mobile searchers make mistakes

It’s not surprising that mobile searchers are more prone to misspellings than desktop searches. We’re not precise with touchscreen keyboards, small targets to hit and a variable location we’re typing from.

So make sure to include common misspellings in your campaigns and optimization efforts, this can be a great, untapped source of new traffic.

What misspelled words should you include? Turn off the auto-correcting spell checker on your mobile device and tap in each of your top 10-keyword phrases 10 times each. You’ll end up with 100 keyword phrases.

Which ones are misspellings? Collect the results and start your list.

Along these lines, many marketers running paid search campaigns are finding it more effective to manage separate sets of keywords for mobile and desktop platforms.

Is this right for you? Only you can decide and you can only decide once you’ve got some experience. So get started.

Computers, tablets, and smartphones all fill a different need that consumers have for finding information at various points throughout the day.

While marketers should look to all three devices for reaching potential customers, lumping the devices together without understanding differences in intent and behavior can lead to costly mistakes and missed opportunities.”

You need to optimize for your mobile site to make sure that you are attracting all the purchase-prone mobile user.  Keep in mind the above 4 tips when you look to optimize and don’t forget to have a mobile site created.  The small amount of time and money required is well worth the investment.

For the complete article on mobile search.

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mobile local, mobile marketing, mobile search, mobile websites

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Google’s Study called « The Mobile Movement » conducted with OTX MediaCT in April 2011 makes for interesting reading.

Here are the highlights:

1.      Search engine websites are the most visited sites on mobile (77%).  This is followed by social networking, retail and video sharing sites.   The lesson?  SEO is just as important with mobile so you need to make sure you are doing well.

2.      News, dining and navigational information are sought out by over 50% of smartphone users. Mobile matters.  Even if you don’t market a product or service that lends itself way to mobile, you can still offer something of value on mobile.

3.      Nine out of 10 smartphone searches result in an action (purchase, visit). 24% recommend a brand or product as a result of a smartphone search.  Make it easier for mobile searchers to take action. Give them a phone number, a send to a friend link, a map or a short code to get more information.

4.       95% of smartphone users have looked for local information.  88% of these users take action within a day. 77% have contacted a business with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business.  If you are a local business, you need to make it easy for users to take action.  Offer time-sensitive promotions that will motivate users to respond quickly.

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

advertising mobile, mobile advertising, mobile search, search mobile

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According to The Search Agency, mobile CPCs (costs per click) are 30% less than those on desktop.  However, the mobile click-through rate (CTR) is almost 5 TIMES higher than that of desktop.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you put together a strategy for your mobile search/advertising strategy.

1.      Make sure that you create a separate mobile SEO strategy.  Mobile and online require two totally different approaches.

2.      If you want to use pay-per-click advertising, the AdWords interface will show you what portion of your clicks and conversions are coming from mobile versus desktop.  If more than 10% are coming from mobile, you may want to create a separate mobile-specific advertising campaign

3.      Google will let you target for specific mobile devices, carriers and operating systems. This is important because the mobile search experience varies depending on what phone the user is searching on.

4.      Remember that when people search on their mobile phones they tend to write much shorter words and have a local focus.  Google has a mobile keyword selection tool which can help you choose your search keywords.

5.      Make sure to keep your copy short.  Always include click-to-call phone numbers as well as click-to- maps which will enhance your conversion rates.

6.      Make absolutely sure that if you have a landing page that you want your user to go to that it is mobile-friendly!

You’re probably tired of hearing that it’s the “Year of Mobile,” but these numbers and results indicate it may actually be the time to starting thinking differently about this medium.

Make the effort to reach your mobile audience. Put yourself in their shoes. The rewards will be great if you do.

Mobile search, search mobile, mobile advertising, advertising mobile

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

mobile search, mobile web, mobile web searches, search mobile

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What do we know about mobile search?

• 58% of mobile users are on the mobile web at least once a day (Google)
• 90% of mobile users search local information (Google)
• 87% of local mobile searchers take action from their search (Google)
• More than 50% of all calls driven by local search ads are made from mobile phones, double the number in the last year
• Consumers calling from their mobile phones say on the phone longer and have a higher tendency to convert because they are closer to the point of purchase
• Mobile searchers are more likely to have a location qualifier (i.e. the keywords they use will tend to be location-specific)

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

mobile browser, mobile browsers, mobile search, search mobile

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The figures show that search traffic through smartphone and tablet devices has seen a 181 per cent increase in the first three months of 2011 compared to last year’s figures.

One of the reasons for its success is the perfect fusion of functionality and message, along with the widespread adoption of smartphones.

With more and more people searching via a mobile browser there are lots of opportunities for brands to capitalize on the popularity and cost efficiencies of mobile search campaigns.

As mobile moves from the ear to the hand it has opened up new and engaging channels for brands to reach their consumers.

For mobile search, it is crucial to appear on the first handful of search listings as users will be reluctant to scroll through pages. Search optimization must be focused on the services people need whilst on the move.

Mobile search is driven by an immediate need for information – therefore it’s important to ensure your pages are optimized for users to gain easy access to quick, relevant and targeted content that incorporates location and time. It is also vital that your site displays well on different devices, as if people can’t interact with you, they can’t buy from you.

When optimizing your site for mobile, you should use short keywords as people don’t want to type long worded search queries.

In addition, you should consider adopting keywords that are often misspelt, which often occurs when people type using the mobile keyboard.

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

mobile search, search mobile

(Want to learn more about how to succeed in mobile marketing?  Please download my free “Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing” video now)

Unless you have been living under a rock, you must know by now that the internet is most definitely going mobile.

If you need some good reasons to ‘go mobile’ why not try some of the most important reasons such as the fact that mobile is cheaper, highly targeted, delivers fast results and is taking over the world?

But you can’t expect to simply transfer your desktop campaign to mobile by cutting and pasting.  This is because mobile user behavior is so different than their behavior on the traditional web. This is true for everything but certainly very true of mobile search.

According to a recent Marketing Week article, mobile search differs from web search in at least three ways:

• Terms. When a user searches on his mobile phone, the terms he types in tend to be shorter and the chance of a typing error or abbreviation much higher.
• Timing.  When people search on their mobile is different too.  Most mobile searches are concentrated in the morning before work and then in the evening.  Timing in terms of ultimate purchase is much more compressed on mobile as well.  So if the average time between initial customer research and purchase can be as long as a month on desktop, it tends to be around an hour on mobile.
• Competition. Many experts argue that you can be more successful on mobile search (versus the web) because competition for keywords is less fierce.  This can considerably reduce both the CPC (cost per click) and the CPA (cost per acquisition).

Campaigns can be as much as 30-40% cheaper CPA on mobile versus desktop

According to Simon England, the managing director at ALA, a gap car insurance provider, using mobile and mobile search has made all the difference.  Gap insurance is an additional insurance policy (above and beyond ‘normal’ car insurance) that will make up the difference between the market value the insurance company pays out for a written off or stolen car and the full cost of the vehicle as new.

England says he has been using mobile for a few months and they have converted 30-40% of people who click through to call.  This conversion rate is 3-4 times better than what England gets on his ‘normal’ website.

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

Androids, Google, mobile dominance, mobile search

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Google is definitely banking on a bright mobile future.

It is aiming at mobile dominance and appears to be making progress in that direction:

1.    For the first quarter of 2011, Android handsets made up for almost half of all smart phones sold (Canalys).   The Android rise was driven by phones ushering from HTC, Motorola and Samsung.
2.    The same growth is reflected in mobile search. According to Google, mobile searches are growing at the same rate today as desktop-based search did in the ‘early days’ of the net.
By controlling Android, Google is seeking to ensure that their mobile search is the default option on phones.  Since search is directly linked to the advertising revenues for the company, owning the Android platform is paramount.

But Google will not go unchallenged.  Microsoft wants to challenge Google’s mobile search dominance with Bing.  For example, Microsoft has put together a deal with Research in Motion to make Bing the default search engine on Blackberry.
Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

m-commerce, mobile marketing, mobile search, mobile website

(Want to learn more about how to succeed in mobile marketing? Please download my free “Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing” video now)

1.      Create a Mobile Website.  You can do this either by optimizing the website you have or creating an entirely new one (my preference).  If you want, you can host it on a sub domain so it would be m.yourdomain.com

2.      Optimize for Mobile search.  While Mobile SEO is currently somewhat an unknown, you can’t go wrong by optimizing for your location since a lot of mobile search queries will have a ‘local variable’ in them.  So ‘your market’ + city or city+ your market.

3.      Use M-Commerce correctly.

a.       Don’t cut down on the range of products you offer just because it is a mobile environment.

b.       Make it incredibly easy for existing customers to make a purchase preferably using a 1-click method

c.       Include a search bar (with auto suggest) so that mobile users can see everything you have to offer easily

d.      Include images that load vast but let the user view the whole product

e.       Make sure your checkout page is mobile-optimized

f.       Give your user the option to call and pay over the phone with a simple click-to-call.

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!