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Mobile SEO Tips: The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Search Optimization |
| Wednesday, March 17, 2010 |
Continuing with our mobile search theme this week, we wanted to share some mobile SEO tips that marketers can leverage to help enhance their presence with mobile search. Why focus on mobile? Well this stat tells it all, a recent study from the International Telecommunication Union suggests that by the end of 2010, the number of mobile phone users on the planet will increase from about 4.6 billion to 5 billion. As a result you can expect consumers to begin to feel more at ease with mobile shopping. If anything else people are already using their mobile phones to find timely information whether it is an address, flight information or a restaurant menu.
According to a study from Retrevo, 55% of people aged 18-24 have used a mobile phone to assist in the shopping process. People, especially digital natives are comfortable in using their mobile phones to surf and to purchase. An eMarketer report from March 2008 suggests that spending on mobile advertising will reach about $19 billion in 2012 with the US market forecasted to reach $6.5 billion during this same time.
Here are some tips to consider when optimizing for mobile search.
Mobile SEO Tips
- You need a Mobile Friendly Site - Ensure that you have a Mobile friendly site
- this may mean creating a mobile version of your site
- this may mean creating a mobile microsite
- ensure that you can replicate all of the important functionality that you see on your regular website
- keep the design simple and clean
- Use valid XHTML 1.0 code
- test to ensure that the site will render appropriately across various mobile devices
- if you are a more robust e-commerce site, consider creating an m-commerce site (mobile site) with
- mobile galleries
- product catalogs and shopping basket
- billing management
- ease of use/login
- for smaller businesses, ensure that you set up a mobile site with basic features that include:
- text, graphics and video
- click to call
- custom forms
- device detection and optimized rendering
- customized design with branded elements to match your existing web site to help deliver a successful user experience for different mobile users
- Own Your Mobile Domain - when designing a mobile site or even if you just want have your mobile domain available for future scalability, try to own your mobile domain. Consider getting a dormobi domain. A .mobi domain is a top level domain approved by ICANN that is restricted for mobile devices and sites. Visit http://www.dotmobi.org/ for additional details.
- Follow Website Accessibility Guidelines - pay attention to W3C guidelines and standards which can be found here. While a separate, mobile version of the website is not required, if you are creating a mobile site, you want to ensure that the layout is easy to use and view on mobile devices.
- Avoid Complex Navigation - this is true foe website or mobile optimization. Keep it simple, you know what it is like navigating a site from your smart phone. If you are using your phone to find information, you are most likely looking for this information in a hurry. Make it easy for users to find what they are looking for.
- Leverage SEO Best Practices - keyword association is important with any Search activity, whether it is online or mobile. As a result the need for optimized pages is important if you want to be found by your desired audience. As part of your mobile SEO efforts, ensure that:
- Page Titles are optimized with relevant keywords being used by your mobile audience
- Landing pages are optimized with relevant keywords being used by your mobile audience
- Keep on Top of Mobile Technologies - the technology continues to improve and get better. Avoid using intensive presentation methods such as Flash and Ajax. Again keep the design simple. While we expect technologies to improve, you want to ensure that your mobile site will load fast and provide an output that is useful to the user. Understand all of the options that you have available when implementing and optimizing a mobile strategy. Stay informed.
- Leverage Sponsored Search for Mobile to support SEO - Google Mobile, Yahoo Mobile and Mobile Advertising through Microsoft to promote your brand via mobile ads. Using Google Mobile as an example, Sponsored search results on Google Mobile work on a pay per click as well as a pay per call basis. Every ad contains a headline and a description with a maximum of 18 characters each. The third line contains the site URL or a telephone number or both. Advertisers can therefore choose to connect to customers via whichever medium - phone or website. In addition, when using mobile advertising with Google, you can:
- leverage keyword targeting to target specific searches on mobile phones
- leverage contextual targeting and reach readers of mobile web pages reading about a given topic
- leverage carrier targeting to target specific carriers
- target ads based on compatible devices
- Consider Multilingual mobile site optimization - this one is fairly obvious
- Submit to Mobile Search Engines - this can be done by accessing resources such as this.
- Optimize for Local Search - ensuring that your site is well optimized for local search, will mean that people should be able to find you when they are looking for local resources. Update your profile and include links to your mobile site (if you have one) and make it easy for users to find your business and more importantly "reach out and touch your business". It is not just about the Yellow Pages anymore.
Notable Mobile Search Engines
Mobile Website Design Resources
- Mobile Awesomeness - http://www.mobileawesomeness.com/
- MobiSite Galore - http://www.mobisitegalore.com
- Accuracast - http://mobile.accuracast.com/
Additional Resources
Labels: ASK Click to Speak ASK Mobile, mobile search, mobile seo |
posted by Jody @ 5:41 AM   |
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Google Nexus One Phone Now Available in Canada |
| Tuesday, March 16, 2010 |
It has finally been announced that Google's Nexus One phone is now available in Canada. Starting today, an additional version of the Nexus One is available from the Google web store that is compatible with AT&T’s 3G network. This new model can be purchased as an unlocked device without a service plan. In addition to AT&T’s 3G network, this device will also run on Rogers Wireless in Canada. According to Google:
Two versions of the device are currently offered. Both versions support four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900), but the supported 3G/UMTS bands will differ depending on the version selected. When ordering, you'll be able to select either of the following devices:
- 3G coverage on networks that use the 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz frequency bands (recommended for use on AT&T in the US and Rogers Wireless in Canada)
- 3G coverage on networks that use the 900 MHz, AWS, and 2100 MHz frequency bands (recommended for use on T-Mobile in the US)
In addition, the Nexus One will deliver 2G/EDGE speeds on these networks and also supports WiFi.
These cover most major GSM mobile providers worldwide; however, if you're unsure of the bands supported by your mobile service provider, please contact your provider directly prior to purchase.
The Google Nexus One phone can be purchased here. According to cbc.ca:
In a blog post, Google explained that Canadians can choose from two versions of the Nexus One, each of which work on different 3G cellular frequencies. The version introduced in the United States in January works on T-Mobile's U.S. network. The new version introduced on Tuesday works on AT&T's network in the United States and on Rogers in Canada.
A spokesperson for Google Canada added that the Nexus One had been successfully tested on the Rogers and Wind Mobile networks, which use the same respective frequencies as AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States. She declined to say whether it would work on the new network recently rolled out by Bell and Telus, and could not say why the company chose to make two separate phones rather than one that works on both types of 3G frequencies.
"It's an ongoing project to extend the availability around the world," the spokesperson said. "We'll continue to launch more phones that work on different networks and providers."
Google's (GOOG) share price was up slightly to finish the day at $565.20.Labels: google nexus one, Google Phone |
| posted by Jody @ 7:20 PM |
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Mobile Search & Mobile Advertising: The Next Dot Com Bubble? |
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This is a topic that we haven't touched on in a while. Mobile Search and Mobile Advertising is nothing new. For some reason North America has been slow to adopt mobile as compared to other areas of the world. I am going to state the obvious here, Mobile is big and it is not and will not be going away. With the advent of Smart Phones (iPhone, Google Android anyone?) people are more wired than every before... and where the masses are so to are advertisers and marketers.
I had an interesting conversation with Manoj Jasra of Web Analytics World the other day as he came over to my place for a quick visit. Manoj and I both agreed that Mobile is where it is at, and that Mobile is just now starting to get the attention that it deserves. There are huge opportunities with Mobile and not just with Apps, but with advertising and the ability to find information real-time via a mobile device.
Chris Crum over at Web Pro News had a great piece on mobile search the other day that we would like to reproduce pretty much in its entirety here.
Original Post:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/03/11/critical-improve-your-mobile-search-and-advertising-strategy
Critical: Improve Your Mobile Search and Advertising Strategy
Don't Let Your Search Strategy Get Left Behind By the Mobile World
A Google exec recently said, "In three years' time, desktops will be irrelevant." That's debatable, but there's no question that mobile use will have grown much more than it already has. Based on comments in a recent keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to think PC use is going to drop too much, but he did say, "Mobile queries are just going to keep going up and up and up."
A study released last month found that the number of mobile phone subscribers is on track to increase from 4.6 billion to 5 billion globally by the end of 2010. Another study found that consumers are getting more comfortable with mobile shopping.
Mobile Search
Google has dominated the search market for a long time, and while this still continues to be the case, it's important to note that search in general changes with mobile. People are searching in different ways than just using their favorite search engines. They're using different apps. They're using their voices. They're scanning barcodes for instant access to product information. The number of ways people are finding information with their phones is only going to keep increasing. On mobile, it's not just about Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
That's not to say these three aren't still incredibly important to mobile. In fact, the search share among these top search engines may even become more greatly divided as time goes on. We're seeing different mobile carriers and manufacturers making deals with these companies, which affect the default search options for various devices. As we discussed before, mobile search engine use may be largely dictated by device popularity, which is (in my opinion) one of the biggest things Bing will have going in its favor in terms of market share - Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 phones will come with Bing hardware keys, meaning the most convenient way to search on these devices will likely be to hit a single button taking the user to Bing. If these devices become popular, it could be huge for Microsoft in search.
As far as Google indexing and mobile sites goes, Google's Matt Cutts says, "If you can find a way where your existing site will work well in mobile browsers, we're not worrying about supporting two completely different sites."
To learn about this subject in more detail, read the Google Webmaster Central Blog posts: Help Google Index Your Mobile Site, and Running Desktop and Mobile Versions of Your Site.
The article went on to discuss mobile search advertising and creating separate mobile-focused campaigns to help optimize keywords and ad text for people using mobile devices.
One of the most important things any search marketer can do with regards to a mobile strategy, is to simply keep up with the latest mobile trends and innovations. This space is rapidly evolving, and new apps are released frequently. Pay attention to hot apps, and how your target audience is engaging with them. What devices, operating systems, and browsers are hot? Monitor studies and surveys that delve into demographics. Try to stay ahead of the curve.
Mobile Search and mobile advertising are in fact being leveraged by many businesses. The question is, is your business leveraging mobile?Labels: mobile |
| posted by Jody @ 8:41 AM |
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SEO Tools: Some Great Resources |
| Sunday, March 14, 2010 |
There are a number of resources out there with regards to SEO tools out there. In fact, there are so many SEO tools out there, that it gets difficult to evaluate them all. From link analysis and link building resources to competitive research tools, there are numerous SEO tools out there that can be used as part of your arsenal. The fact is that there are many free tools that one can leverage as part of their SEO efforts.
As a result, we wanted to compile a list of seven great resources on SEO tools that you might want to evaluate and learn more about. There are more than this of course, and their are some popular SEO resources that are clearly absent from this list. We wanted to provide a list of some of the resources that you may not be aware about. Think that we have missed a resource? Leave a comment and let us know about it.
7 Great Resources for SEO Tools
- SEOforums.org - http://seoforums.org/seo-tools/ - a nice repository of free SEO tools ranging from a wide spectrum of SEO topics including: link analysis, keyword research, rank checkers, meta data tools, social media tools and more.
- Online SEO Tools – the Ultimate Collection - Search Engine Journal. This is a great resource for the simple fact that the tools mentioned in this list are all free. This is a nice compilation with a diverse list of tools across a number of different SEO areas.
- SEOBook - http://tools.seobook.com/ - One of the most popular and well used resources for SEO tools comes from SEOBook. We found a number of the tools useful, but not spectacular, hence the placement of this resource. From keyword research to link analysis, SEOBook features some of the typical tools that many novice online marketers leverage as they build their knowledge base.
- SEO Company - http://www.seocompany.ca/tool/seo-tools.html - has an extensive list of 136 SEO tools ranging from code validators to Google ranking tools. The depth of this list was good enough to earn a bronze medal on our list of top SEO Tool resources.
- Search Engine Genie - http://www.searchenginegenie.com/seo-tools.htm - this one made our list due to the number of unique tools featured on the list. There are tools such as a Twitter button generator, a Bing ranking checker, comparison tools and more.
- SEO Tool Land - http://www.seotoolland.com/ - we liked this one as this resource include video tools, HTML analysis tools, as well as various SEO tips and tricks.
- SEO Tools.com - http://www.seotools.com/ - not a very extensive list, but we liked their cloaking checker tool that can be accessed here. Brought to you by Bruce Clay a well trusted agency in the search industry. Bruce Clay also offers a Toolset that features some additional SEO tools http://www.seotoolset.com/tools/free_tools.html
We will post a list of some of our favorite tools that we use regularly in an upcoming post. Have you created an SEO tool and want to share it with others? Drop us a line and we will evaluate it and see if it makes our list.Labels: SEO tools |
| posted by Jody @ 8:34 PM |
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Which Attribution Solution Is The Right Fit For You? - ClearSaleing Webinar |
| Wednesday, March 10, 2010 |
One of the marketing buzzwords that we identified in our annual list for 2010 was attribution. This buzz about attribution is definitely holding true as there continues to be a ton of discussion around this somewhat complicated topic. I was live blogging a webinar presented by ClearSaleing entitled "Which Attribution Solution Is The Right Fit For You? ". The webinar was moderated by Mike Grehan from Incisive Media and featured the following presenters:
- Adam Goldberg - Co-founder and CIO of ClearSaleing
- Dustin Engel - VP Strategy & Business Development
Adam started out by defining two types of attribution:
- Operational Attribution - attribution applied everyday. It consists of cross-media tracking, daily analytical insights and daily optimization (manual or automated). He went on to discuss advertising with a purpose by leveraging incremental reach and brand attachment through to influence by differentiation and personalization and closing with the conversion.
- Project Based Attribution - data aggregation from disparate systems, monthly,seasonal and quarterly insights, budget allocation for the upcoming season/quarter. It's about planning for upcoming time and the time ahead.
Dustin Engel then mentioned how attribution needs to be layered into analytics and used display ad servers as an example. The pros being the low level of implementation with cons being limited channel visibility and limited insight into organic channels. From there he discussed how analytics factors in with strong digital coverage and the ability to data mine against site traffic and CRM data. While heavy implementation may be required, the audience for this is really those who are existing site analytics users and those who have a limited desire to understand post-impression data.
In terms of advertising analytics there can be a high level of accuracy due to consistent tracking methodology. In addition you have the ability to manage large volumes of data from internal and external systems.
With regards to business intelligence, those who are confident in lift metrics will receive the most benefit. You will have the ability to pull in and interpret data from disparate sources with the ability to manage large volumes of data.
Adam added that you should be focusing on both operation and project based attribution. There is a lot of data that is required to ensure that attribution is be effectively tracked. He mentioned Forrester's 2009 Wave report that highlights some attribution vendors. The report selected vendors for a 44-criteria evaluation to determine the leaders in the attribution management field. The vendors were selected based on product fit, customer success and Forrester client demand. The evaluation process lasted several weeks as Forrester worked with each vendor to get a true understanding of the attribution offering, strategy and market presence. Report can be downloaded here.
The Q&A portion was interesting as someone asked what lift metrics mean? Dustin stated that this is really where you are looking for high level lift when you run a certain campaign. It sounded as though this was tied mainly to brand lift. They then touched on the rebirth of display and banner blindness.
Overall, I was disappointed with the webinar based on the information presented. It was a little too "salesy" for my liking. There were however some great questions in the Q&A and one potential resource that was mentioned was the sister site of ClearSaleing: http://www.attributionmanagement.com/. For those looking at more on attribution, this might be an interesting resource to check out.Labels: attribution, clearsaleing |
| posted by Jody @ 10:47 AM |
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