In a previous blog I wrote about mobile users and the on-the-go type of usage that differentiates them from regular type of Internet users. One of the areas where this is most notable is Search. It relates to the keywords that mobile users type when searching for something, be it movie tickets, a restaurant menu or a local florist. It also pertains to the search results that they will get when clicking on the Search button.

Two interesting statistics show that there is a huge uptake in mobile search and especially in its local nature.

The first is from comScore M:Metrics that reported that in June 2008, 20.8 million U.S. mobile subscribers and 4.5 million European mobile phone subscribers accessed search during the month, an increase of 68 and 38 percent from June 2007, respectively.

The second is from The Kelsey Group which is forecasting that the percentage of mobile searches that have local intent will increase from 28 percent in 2008 to 35 percent in 2013.

So given this information, I want to explain why I believe it  is important for local businesses to take advantage of the soar in Mobile Search by creating a mobile website that is tailored for mobile users.

• Users searching from a mobile device require quick and reliable information. In many cases it is a very impulsive need and if your website doesn’t provide them with the information that they are looking for, they will quickly move to the next search result. A survey conducted by Gomez Inc. discovered that mobile web users do not have much patience for retrying a website that is slow or not functioning. 40 percent of the respondent to the survey said they’d likely visit a competitor’s mobile website instead.

• A small local business website has a much higher chance of ranking high for local searches than regular searches. Mobile users searching for businesses in a certain category and that are located in the geographical vicinity to a certain business should see that business rank higher in their results compared to running the same search from a desktop computer. This is due to Google’s ability to use the location of the device conducting the search (upon the user’s approval). Google can do this  either by using the GPS capabilities embedded in Smartphones or for mobile devices without GPS, users can update their current location manually.
• Google has added a small icon that identifies websites that are tailored for mobile devices in order to help mobile users using Google Search for Mobile focus on the sites that will display well on their devices. An example below shows the result when searching for Pizza. Notice the “little green icon” next to the URL indicating that this is a mobile friendly site.In order for Google to identify your site as mobile friendly, you need to submit your mobile sitemap to the Google Webmaster Tool. See instruction how to do it.

Google Green Mobile Icon

• Lastly Google has also recently launched (Sep 09) a new redesigned experience for Local Search for mobile. If you go to google.com from a mobile device you will notice a link labeled “Local” on the top. Clicking on it will lead you to a directory structure (restaurants, shopping, gas etc.). When you either perform a query search or browse through the directory Google will list only businesses in your geographical vicinity. The main benefit is that mobile users can now search for businesses without typing.

Google Local Search for Mobile

So it’s now easier for mobile users to find your business, only question is if your website is ready for mobile?

To mobilize your website contact us at www.dudamobile.com, we have created mobile sites for several local businesses and would be glad to help you out.