Mobile Advertising News

Mobile social networking is good news for startups on web.

2012-01-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

The majority of consumers worldwide will soon have smartphones. Smartphones are about the most important thing to happen to social networking since Harvard sent its acceptance letter to Mark Zuckerberg.
Smartphones know where you are, who your friends are, who's nearby, and soon thanks to NFC, they'll know what you're buying and where. They are the key element of the next, mobile phase is social networking.

Facebook is the power hitter in social networking today, and is likely to drive the most activity and a fair share of the innovation in social networking in 2012. But it's not the only company driving things forward. Google+, Twitter and Linkedin is also in this business.

Facebook is serious about mobile social networking, but it is not the leader in this space in terms of design or technology. Smaller companies, like Path and Milk (with its first app, Oink) are coming out with new takes on mobile interaction. Square could play in this economy as well. All these services will likely use Facebook's network to put people or businesses or in touch with each other in new ways. More specialized mobile networks (really riders on top of Facebook) will appear this year.

A Rumor sad that Facebook will go Into Mobile Ads by End of March 2012.

2011-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Facebook plans its first push into mobile advertising by the end of March, giving the company a fresh source of revenue ahead of a possible initial public offering, two people with knowledge of the matter said. An idea being considered is putting Facebook’s Sponsored Stories ads, which feature friends’ interactions with brands, within the mobile News Feed, said the people, who declined to be identified because the plans aren’t public. The News Feed lets users view status updates, photos and other content.

Facebook, which boasts more than 800 million users, is increasing its focus on mobile technology, aiming to take advantage of the shift to smartphones and tablets. The company expects its next 1 billion users to come mainly from mobile devices, rather than desktop computers. More than 350 million users already access Facebook through their mobile devices, according to the site. Read more:

Go Mobile

2011-11-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

Mobile is delivering on its promise at the moment. The technology is in place and people are engaging in droves, on smartphones in particular. but many businesses still hasen't started walking the mobile road yet. Most have not yet meaningfully engaged with mobile consumers and adapted their strategies to capitalize on the mobile opportunity. But, not too late. Here are some steps that businesses should take today to build the foundation of their mobile marketing and commerce strategy.

Thinking Local
Mobile searches have more ‘intent’; but what does that mean? It’s a way of saying that when people are looking for information on a mobile device they intend to act on it fast. Mobile users search for information because they want to take action. After looking up a local business on their smart phone, 61% of users have called the business and 59% have visited. Because of this, location is exceptionally relevant to mobile users, and should be especially important to marketers. If people intend to act fast on the information they find on mobile, they’re more likely to take action somewhere near their locations. So,as a business, to try to reach a mobile consumer, understanding geo-targeted advertising campaigns and products is critical.

You need a mobile specific site
That giv's your conumers a great mobile experience when they visit your site on their mobile phone. And what’s a mobile specific site? It’s a website that’s been designed specifically for a smartphone, and it prioritizes what’s important for a user on the go, it features elements that are easy to see and interact with.
A mobile optimized site isn’t a desktop optimized site. In fact, it may be just the opposite: websites that look great on the desktop may be illegible, or require endless zooming-in, or may not work at all on mobile. The mobile web is not a smaller, portable version of the desktop web. When designing a mobile site, think as a customer. Make site navigation easier, put key action-items front and center, and build for the on.the.go user. Think about the mobile behavior of your customers and design for it.

Be more ‘Personal’
200 million videos are viewed every day on Mobile YouTube, an increase of over 3x from last year.65 million minutes (over 125 years!) of Angry Birds games are played every day on mobile. We’re glued to our mobile devices, and engaged like we’ve never been before. There’s an opportunity to connect with consumers in ways that are both special, and only possible, because they’re on mobile.

Track your mobile site
The web looks and feels different on a mobile device and people engage with it differently, at different moments of the day, and often with different objectives. Google sees a 50% spike in usage on weekends for Google Maps for mobile and in general, mobile engagement increases in the evenings and on weekends, when people are away from their desks, or on the go. So, mobile is distinct from desktop; your mobile site tracking should be distinct as well. When you separate your desktop and mobile website data, you’ll better understand the users visiting your site, what phones they have, and what actions they are taking. You can then use this data to optimize your website and improve it, along with your campaigns.

Iterate
We’re in the earliest chapters of mobile’s history. Change is in the air and hopefully will be for a long time. Just remember, before 2007, the iPhone didn’t yet exist, and neither did Android handsets, or any app marketplaces. The rate of change in mobile over the last five years is astounding and you need to have a fast development cycle to stay ahead of that change. The tactics and strategies that work today may be very different from what works months, or even weeks from now.

Marketing in Google+

Convert to mobile websites

2011-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you convert a traditional website into a mobile version, it’s important to make sure a number of things happen:

Auto-Detect Mobile Phones. Mobile-friendly websites automatically detect that users are on a mobile device and then display the appropriate version of the site.

Clear Calls to Action. The most important features of the site should be the at the top of the page and should include clear calls to actions.

Avoid Mobile-Unfriendly Elements. The design should avoid mobile-unfriendly elements such as Flash, large images, video, and complex layouts.

Fluidity. Design with a fluid layout that will gracefully adapt to a range of typical mobile screen resolutions.

Touch Interface. Touch screens don’t have hover states — it’s all about fingers tapping, so don’t build a site that requires users to move their mouse over menus or other elements. Also, make sure links and other clickable elements are big enough to tap with a fingertip.

Scrolling. Limit scrolling to one direction — the site should only scroll vertically. Having to manage a page that scrolls horizontally and vertically is difficult to navigate.

One Window. Avoid pop-ups and new windows. A user’s entire experience should take place in a single window.

Use Alt Tags. Sometimes images won’t load, either because of issues with the mobile browser or because a user’s connection is too slow. Always include descriptive alt tags for images, in case they don’t appear.

Simple Navigation. Simplify your navigation. Typically, a site’s traditional navigation is too complex for a mobile site.

Clean Code. Most desktop web browsers allow a lot of leeway when rendering HTML and will usually display a site correctly, even if the code has flaws. Mobile browsers usually have less room for error, so there is an added value to having clean, simple code.

Label Forms. Some modern websites embed form labels inside the form field. On mobile, it’s much more difficult to keep track of the fields, and users often make use of “next/previous” buttons built into they keyboard. Without clear labels alongside the form fields, it might be impossible to know what information is supposed to be in which field.

Escape Hatch. Sometimes users just need to use your normal site. If possible, always have a link back to the original, unoptimized site.

It all comes down to leveraging design and technology to keep things simple, clean, fast to load and easy to digest on the go.

Local Now Accounts for 40 Percent of Mobile Searches, according to Google, “Distance” Now an AdWords Ranking Variable.

2011-10-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Google announced new mobile ad-units along with some interesting new stats in regards to mobile search.
According to the company, 40% of all mobile searches coming to Google are local in nature at this point, which continues to trend upward. As such, the search giant also announced that “physical location,” or the proximity of a local business to a user’s location will become a targeting variable when serving ads to mobile users.

The new AdWords ranking variable that takes into account a user’s location is good news for local businesses and retailers as it aims to drive more relevant foot traffic at lower costs. Local businesses will need to use Location Extensions to take advantage of the new location targeting, and the smartphone user will need to be opted-in to share their location for location proximaty to kick in.

Custom Search Ads for apps: will appear when users search within apps for content. Search ads now can be integrated into apps, which wasn’t available previously.

Click to Download ads: will direct users to download areas in Android Market or iTunes app store.

Mobile App Extensions: these ads can direct people to specific apps or pages within apps already on their phones.

Circulars (not limited to mobile): these are more graphically rich ads that contain product images, pricing and deals/offers. Google says, “When someone clicks on a search or display ad (on desktop, mobile or tablet devices), they may see these engaging ads which contain photos of relevant products and special offers.”

Here’s Google’s example: “If someone searches for sneakers on a mobile device, they might see an ad that takes them directly into a cool shopping app they’ve installed on their phone.” It’s not clear what happens if the app isn’t on the user’s phone already.

Marketing on smartphones

2011-09-30T04:41:00.001-07:00

Before smartphones arrived, much of mobile advertising was limited to small text links on WAP sites, opt-in mobile messaging, or ad banners too small for the mobile user to read and much less be impressed by. Standardization was difficult or impossible becauce of the many different devices, and mobile advertising was subject to a scale problem much worse than the one experienced by web advertising in its early days. Not only because ad units couldn't be effectively standardized, but also because the technology used by each carrier was different -- further compounded by the notion that two handsets might have the same carrier, but might also have a completely different set of capabilities and enabling technologies fueling how they worked. On top of this, many people looked to their mobile phones primarily as interpersonal communication devices, not as content consumption devices.
So it's no wonder the mobile web wasn't the huge game-changer we thought it might be.

Smartphones arrived. Apple has half the market. I've had my iPhone 3G for several months now and still love it, even though it can't handle email as well as my BlackBerry did. With Apple holding 50 percent share in the smartphone market, we might see a scalable solution coming our way. The problem is that mass marketers won't likely understand that people still see phones largely as an interpersonal communication device, less so as a content consumption device.

Many iPhone apps are free. I do occasionally check the weather, the stock market, and use the Safari web browser to access content. More often, though, I'm using Twitterific to tweet from the road, using Facebook's mobile app to approve friend requests and upload mobile photos, or making use of location-based services like Loopt.

Many mass marketers would like to think that mobile devices will simply replace desktops and notebooks for web browsing, but that's not what is going to happen. If we are going to figure out a way to use smartphones as a marketing channel, we can't think it's just web advertising on a small screen. While it is true that mobile web browsing is on the rise, and that the iPhone can surf the web more elegantly than any mobile device that came before it, the truth of the matter is that mobile applications are increasingly being used to enable interpersonal communications rather than to provide brand platforms in the vein of mass media.

There's always room for mobile apps that provide content, but the ones that will scale quickly and will integrate more closely into the lives of people who download them will be the ones that provide utility and community, not straight content. So, if you're looking to make smartphones a viable channel for your brand, you need to branch out beyond content distribution and into mobile utility and community.

Go Mobile With your Marketing

2011-09-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

Mobile advertising is growing fast. With the gradual introduction of sophisticated new technologies, marketers are beginning to track results and manage mobile metrics in ways similar to those used online. Opportunities abound for creating new channels of profitability when based on measurability and accountability.
Understanding the unique potential and the proven power of the mobile platform - as well as its limitations, can improve performance and allow mobile advertising to become a significant layer in the marketing mix.

What You Need to Know
There are a number of issues that should be considered once the decision has been made to begin advertising via mobile, in order to increase the success in mobile marketing. Here are a few things that result-based marketers should do when planning a mobile campaign.

There Is A Vast New Markets
There are global markets where mobile phones are commonplace and often used instead of landlines and where the amount of traffic is vast and rapidly growing. Marketers should take advantage of the reach and potential of these relatively untapped and unsaturated markets. Advertising costs are often significantly lower than in other parts of the world and, at the moment, there is considerably less competition.

The Process Should Be Short
Less time and less hassle translate into more conversions. This is especially true in the mobile realm, where campaign success depends on keeping the advertising process as short as possible. Unlike stationary PC users, mobile device users are constantly on the go. They can be exposed to an ad anywhere, at any time, in an endless variety of situations and occasions. Not less important, mobile screens are considerably smaller than PC screens.
Given these limitations, in order to successfully attract the user’s attention, messages (both on the creative and the landing pages) need to be short, precise and effective. The call-for-action should be instantly understood, delivered from a single landing page, and should employ a simple registration form. The form should include a minimum number of required fields that can be quickly and easily completed without the need for lengthy responses or multiple clicks

Multiple Landing Pages
The process should be optimized, from impression to conversion, in order to reach the campaign’s goals. The use of multiple landing pages for each product is critical for the success of the campaign, as is the use and testing of a variety of different banners. Multiple landing pages enable a quick determination of what works best, what turns users into buyers, and delivers the best results for the advertiser.

Text Links
Text Links are ideal for mobile advertising. They deliver excellent conversion rates for result-based advertisers, usually cost less than banners, can bring a higher CTR (Click-Through Rate), and often account for the majority of a campaign’s traffic.

Use Advanced Technologies
Result-based advertisers can benefit from the intelligent use of the latest campaign tracking and management technologies, which can make all the difference for mobile campaign success. Conversion Tracking enables a view of the entire process as well as ongoing measurement and optimization, thus allowing for continuous improvement of campaign results. By focusing on the total process, from impression through conversion.
Unified Reporting Capabilities consolidate campaign data from all relevant networks into a single, unified report. This facilitates the simple detection of campaign variations, strategy, and effectiveness including the relative performance of specific landing pages and network/landing page matches. Innovative new tools that enable the tracking of a campaign’s progress without requiring the advertiser to check each mobile ad network separately are critical for the success of mobile campaigns.

Extend Campaigns to the Widest Range of Devices
Marketers should match their campaigns and technology to the widest possible range of mobile devices including both feature phones, smart phones and tablets, in order to maximize effectiveness and expose the campaign to as much traffic as possible. When planning campaigns, it is particularly important to take into account the rapid growth in smart phone traffic

Campaign Partners (Publishers and Ad Networks) Keep Them Updated
Marketers should keep traffic sources continuously updated. Publishers and Ad Networks should be kept informed about the advertiser’s selected operators, and about the agreements signed with them. This avoids running campaigns via unsuitable operators and on ineffective traffic, and prevents running wasted campaigns.
Mobile Advertising has become an exceptional opportunity for result-based advertisers to increase their revenue sources as well as their reach. New marketing channels can be created and new markets can be tapped. Cutting-edge technologies can be utilized to develop smart, fully optimized campaigns that maximize conversion potential and deliver rapid ROI.

Optimizing For Google Places Page

2011-08-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

As increasing number of searches have local intent behind them, Google is showing Places listings in many more SERPs. This presents an opportunity to either gain a spot on the first page for many businesses or to gain more space on the first page for companies already ranking on the first page.

Five things that hav impact on rankings in Google Places.
• Keywords
As with traditional SEO, having your keywords in the right places is important for ranking while stuffing keywords in the wrong places will make you look like a spammer.
Avoid placing your keywords in the business name (unless the keyword is part of your business name) and the business categories. Both of these will bring the wrath of Google upon you and end up with your Places page removed. Do make an effort to strategically use your keywords in your description. Don't keyword stuff, but word your description carefully and use your primary keyword phrases.

• Service Area
Specifying a service area is a great idea for many businesses that come to you such as tutors, maids, and handymen. If you are unfamiliar with the service area option, it is simply being able to set an area that your business serves rather than specifying an address for your company; it will show up on the map as a circle rather than a pinpoint. The problem is that we have seen a decrease in rankings when businesses have selected to display a service area rather than their business location. So, for now, stay away from the service area feature.

• Consistency
There are several fields to fill out when creating or editing and some of them may not seem like they are really necessary. Google wants to give users the best experience possible; in most circumstances the user will have a better experience if there is more information present on the Places page. This means not only filling out the required text fields but also the optional ones:
• Website
• Email address
• Description
• Categories
You should make sure the hours are accurate, that you have filled out additional details, as well as uploading photos and videos of your business. While these may seem auxiliary, they all count towards profile completeness and should be submitted. When filling out your profile, be as thorough as possible, doing much more than the minimum required.

• Encouraging Reviews
Reviews are one of the best ways to increase your local search rankings but good reviews can be difficult to come by as it seems the only folks motivated to write up a review feel they have been treated unfairly.
You might try some of the following:

• Send a message to your Facebook fans or email list and ask them to leave a review at your Google Place page
• If you send out follow up, or reminder, post cards incorporate a call to action to review your business
• Put a call to action (and link) asking for a review on your web site
• Display a sign by your cash register or hand them a flier with their receipt asking for a review
Make sure to make the process as easy as possible, provide a link to your Places page and give detailed instructions on what they need to do leave a review.

My place Page

Facebook marketing and mobile users

2011-07-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

Smartphones provide a window through which internet marketers can reach consumers even when they aren't sitting at their desktops. According to a new report from ExactTarget, social media content is an especially powerful way to reach these on-the-go consumers, with many checking Facebook at least once daily through their devices.

The study shows that 50 percent of consumers log into Facebook through their smartphones at least once per day. Nearly one in five users (17 percent) say they check Facebook “constantly throughout the day” while 18 percent log into the social site via smartphones “several times per day.”

Moreover, consumers who check Facebook through their smartphones seem to be open to brand engagement via the social site. ExactTarget reports that 27 percent of respondents users have Liked a business through their smartphones.
Plus, mobile Facebook users tend to be members of the lucrative 18- to 34-year-old demographic.

Both men and women check Facebook frequently – approximately two-thirds of smartphone-owning men and women age 34 and under use their smartphones to check Facebook at least once per day, notes the report.

Tapping consumers through mobile Facebook efforts can even lead to sales. More than one-third of respondents (35 percent) said they have received messages through the social network that have encouraged them to make a purchase.

AdMob adds Windows Phone 7 support

2011-03-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

WebOS, iOS, and Android, now AdMob is going for the Windows Phone 7 users. The Admob company, owned by Google, launched a beta SDK for Microsoft’s latest mobile OS, allowing developers to make some cash out of their free apps.
The SDK allows developers to control where the ads appear, and what types of ads are shown in the apps. Both text and banner ads are supported with a variety of post click actions including opening a webpage and linking directly to the App Marketplace.
AdMob have taken steps to customize the ad experience for the look and feel of Windows Phone 7 and make it easy for users to return to their app after engaging with the ad. AdMob updated its existing iOS and Android SDKs to include enhanced HTML5 support for more engaging ad units. Moreover, full screen interstitial formats are now supported on iOS and Android-based tablets.
[Via: Google Mobile Ads Blog]

Your Mobile Search Strategy

2011-01-28T04:56:00.000-08:00

Mobile usage is growing and because location is often at the heart of mobile search queries, mobile is important to businesses that rely on local search. So the question is, what are you going to do about it? Recent investigating on mobile search is showing the following:

• Mobile visits from search to your site are growing fast. On average, each site we looked at, experienced a 500% growth in mobile visits from search over the past year. We are still talking small numbers – the biggest site we tracked only got 50 mobile visits in one week last, but in general, these are 50 very local visitors most likely very interested in finding the particular business in question.

• But Mobile visitors will view fewer pages than web visitors. And that make sense. Who wants to click around when they are on the phone?

• While page views per visit is not always the best number to rely on – maybe the person just wants to find your address or phone number – it still can be a proxy for how engaging your site is. Perhaps you might want to consider designing a version of your site specifically for mobile users that reduces the amount of clicking necessary to get to a desired result.

• Mobile visitors spend a lot less time on your site. This may not be true for all sites

• Mobile search behavior can be different than web search. While this fact entirely dependent upon the type of business. It’s important to understand how a mobile device would change the way a person might search for your services v. a normal Web query.

What to do:

If you are thinking about a mobile search strategy for your business and not sure where to start, the best thing you can do is to figure out how mobile visitors are using your site.
If you are a Google Analytics user, the best thing to do is to set up an Advanced Segment that filters reports by visitors who are classified as Mobile, and here’s what to do:

1. Click on the “Advanced Segments” link on the lower left hand side of the Google Analytics navigation
2. Click on “Create a new custom segment” at the top of the page
3. Under the “Dimensions” section click on “Visitors”
4. Drag the green “Mobile” rectangle into the “dimension or metrics” box. Make sure the “Condition” equals “Matches Exactly” and the “Value” equals “Yes”
5. Name the segment “Mobile”, test and save
6. Now you can view any report in Google Analytics with only mobile user data simply by choosing “Mobile” from the Advanced Segment menu at the top of the page.
7. You can also create similar reports for different phones and browsers if you want to really drill down.

Creating a mobile strategy and building a mobile version of your site sounds like a lot of work and is going to be expensive. In fact this may be the case, although you can do it easy, you only need find where the help is. There are any number of services ready to do it for you.

Learn Mobile Advertising in a New Online Course

2010-11-02T04:11:00.000-07:00

Learn mobile advertising from a new interactive course

To day there are more than 4 billion mobile users globally. Half of all new internet connections come from mobile devices.

The course are for those who are interested in learning more about mobile advertising and how to easily setup your AdWords accout to target more users on mobile devices.

Mobile marketing vs Internet Marketing – What happens?

2010-08-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

It’s more and more obvous that Mobile will be the next big thing for various platforms. In social networking, gaming or advertising, mobile has definitely been touted as the next device for taking all of the earlier mentioned to the next level by making it available to everyone, no matter what their location. When we think mobile marketing, the first thought that comes to mind is SMS marketing, which most of us do not appreciate. But the advent of 3G will change mobile marketing leaps and bounds. Inevitably, mobile marketing will probabely overtake internet marketing sooner or later.

And Why is this inevitable?
The only two words that should answer the question is; Google, Apple. Google purchased AdMob, one of the leading mobile advertising companies, and Apple, who had initially tried to buy AdMob, bought Quattro, another mobile advertising company, and shortly later after that Google acquisition. Apart from these giants, InMobi, formerly known as MKhoj, and that is also in the race to rule the mobile advertising world.

Why will Mobile be bigger than Internet Marketing?

The answer is, Mobile phones will have higher penetration than computers. Also, the number of users using mobiles to surf the internet has increased immensely and will only continue to increase. This is precisely the reason why big names like Google and Apple are investing in mobile advertising companies. It probabely only a matter of time before mobile marketing overtakes internet marketing. The real question is how far behind will it leave internet marketing?

Google, iPad, Geo-targeting, AdMob

2010-07-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

AdMob has been acquired by Google, and are now testing new geo-targetedads, releasing a new They will also release a new SDK to support theiPad, and updating their AdWhirloptimizer.

This is the latest activities and give some ideas of where this mobile advertising pioneer company is heading.

Google Acquisition
The biggest news of course is that Google’s acquisition of AdMob was finally approved by the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) after the FTC concluded that the deal was unlikely to harm competition in the emerging market for mobile advertising networks. In particular the FTC cited Apple’s acquisition of ad network Quattro and the launch of the iAd as part of the iPhone OS as indicators that the market would remain open and competitive.

see MobiAD article: The Future of iPhone & iAd

Ad format for iPad
In June AdMob released an SDK that supports special iPad ad formats. Both iPad Text & Tile Ads and iPad Image Ads are supported within the SDK. The AdMob SDK is now unified across all devices running the iPhone OS, which means that developers can download one binary for development across all Apple iPhone OS devices – iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

In May 2010 according to recent numbers from the AdMob, they served ads on approximately 850,000 unique iPad devices. 38% of the unique iPad devices in AdMob’s network came from outside of the US.

Geo-targeting
AdMob has recently begun testing their new, real-time, geo-targeting targeted advertising in the UK, partnering with location-enabled dating site Lovestruck.com.

AdWhirl
An AdMob’s product that has not received too much attention to date is AdWhirl, which they acquired in late 2009. AdWhirl is an ad mediation product for mobile applications. It enables the app developer to easily source ads from several mobile ad networks to be served in their application. This is accomplished with a single set of ad codes, and the ads are selected according to rules setup by the developer.

AdMob has made the following changes to AdWhirl:
• It now supports both the iPhone platform as well as the Android platform
• Developers can now use an unlimited number of ad networks in their apps
• AdWhirl now fully supports Apple’s iAd
• House Ad functionality has been expanded so developers can centrally manage their own house ads

AdMob currently sees more than 100 million ad requests coming through their AdWhirl platform, from some 1,700 mobile applications. AdMob says they are commited to AdWhirl, saying “We believe that open source mediation plays an important role in the mobile ecosystem by giving developers the control they need to manage their business.”

Mobile SEO is important in 2010

2010-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

2010 is the year mobile search need to implement mobile SEO best practices and that’s more important than ever. Optimization evolves in a high speed, and with the emergence of mobile search, staying connected to potential customers, and where and how they search, has just gotten a bit more complex than it was. With global mobil usage around 5 billion and rising, the importance of establishing a strong SEO presence should not be underestimated. More striking is the fact that iPhone users represented about 6% of the smartphone market in 2009, yet drove 70% of all mobile searches. This means that people want to search on their mobile devices, and they just need a capable phone to do it.

What about Links
Not so important.Pagerank? Apparently mobile rankings is not an issue. Developing a mobile search strategy requires a shift in paradigm to drive mobile traffic to your site. With an amalgamation of traditional SEO and new best practices floating around, suggesting changes for mobile optimization could be a potential minefield.

This is a suggestion to prepare your SEO campaigns for success in mobile search.

What to do
The mobile web is different from the traditional web. Your homepage won’t help you here. Instead, you’ll have to recode your site to display properly on mobile devices in order to avoid losing visitors who land on a page of mumbo jumbo script. So, you have to use valid code and that mean that you need to use XHTML (at the moment), and using it well. By using W3C compliant XHTML code on your mobile site, you can ensure that users are seeing the content you want them to see, the way you want them to see it. While you are coding your site, and don’t forget traditional SEO practices. Keyword in headers and content are still effective and should be used, following traditional best practices.

Keyword Ranking
Mobile SEO success is dependent on two crucial factors: location and timing. If a user is searching for “car repairs in a spcific place”, the limited number of mobile sites in combination with a fast upload time for your site could make a small mom and pop auto shop rank just as highly as a Pep Boys in the area.
Keywords for SEO should be targeted, but in a different way than traditional SEO. Instead of focusing on long tail, multi-word phrases, keywords should be adapted to follow the mobile search style. This means shorter keyword phrases, 3 words at most, with geographical information included in highly competitive phrases.
Although this strategy may be of limited importance for global companies, it will allow local businesses to rank for terms in mobile search that are beyond their wildest dreams in traditional SEO, and this is good news for small businesses. Remember to use the word “mobile” in your content.

Microsites
Microsites are an excellent opportunity to provide mobile search capability without revamping an entire site.
Microsites can be adapted to implement all of the best practices listed above, but can be made to focus solely on mobile users, enabling businesses to maintain a traditional homepage for the benefit of non-mobile rankings and users. When crafting your new mobile microsite, keep in mind that display options are crucial when approaching the mobile market. Factors such as image display size, use of java, and varied browser usage should be considered when designing your site.

Conclusion
After your mobile site is near to perfection, you need to submit your site map to search engines’ mobile indexes, then sit back and wait for you traffic to come. But there’s only one small problem with monitoring your traffic: it might not be possible. To track mobile search is not an easy task. Google Analytics, doesn’t work if mobile devices don’t execute JavaScript, making it extremely difficult to judge what traffic is coming from mobile sites and what traffic is coming from traditional SEO efforts. But Google is working on this issue and it will be solved in the future.

Mobile Marketing

2010-02-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Mobile is growing all around us. more than 450 million people worldwide used the mobile Web in 2009. Is your business doing anything to take advantage of these mobile opportunities?

It isn't as hard as you might think and the benefits could grow your business to a new level. For starters, you need to mobilize your website. Some companies choose to have separate websites for mobile, but they don’t need to. If you need assistance mobilizing your current site, there are tools available. On the other hand, if you do create a separate mobile site, be sure to include a link to it on your main page in order to give visitors an option.

When your site is mobilized, you need to get your customers involved with your mobile efforts. To do this, you should send text messages letting customers know about special discounts and offers. Make sure to set up a system for customers to "opt-in" to your mobile endeavors. This form of mobile marketing allows businesses to not only expand their business, but also to build stronger relationships with existing customers.

Finally, you need to make sure your customers can take action on your mobile site, that’s the purpose of your mobile campaign. Your website needs to be capable of taking electronic payments via cell phones so that mobile transactions can be made. An additional benefit of doing this is that you can send invoices in the form of email or text messages, which saves costs, paper, time, and perhaps the climate.

Google Gives Mobile Users Location Based Suggestions

2010-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

Google has launched location-based search results for iPhone and Android mobile device users.

What this means is that people using these devices performing a regular search (not Google Maps) may be directed to geographic location-specific results for any number of queries. Google itself uses the example of museums.

You know how some businesses have ads that simply tell people to Google them? Perhaps there is some more incentive than meets the eye in that strategy.

Read more

AdMob lunches new Video Ad unit for iPhone

2009-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Google has resently purchased AdMob. And Admob has unveiled a new interactive video ad unit for the iPhone today. Upon the announcement of Google's acquisition, the highlights of the purchase included SMS, search, web display, and app display ads. Now, video is part of the mix.

"For the first time, mobile video is truly interactive as we've included customizable in-player action buttons enabling consumers to engage with Web content and more video content without leaving the video player," says AdMob VP Product Ali Diab. The in-player action buttons enable users to browse web sites, view additional videos, etc. while the video is playing.

See a Video from Webpronews

Google to Acquire AdMob

2009-11-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

AdMob has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google for $750 million. AdMob’s says that people, products and tools will continue to work to deliver successful campaigns for you and to effectively monetize your mobile traffic – no interruptions. Their product and engineering teams will keep building great products for their customers. Their sales team will keep working with our thousands of advertisers to deliver successful campaigns. Their business development team will keep working to maximize ad revenue for the more than 15,000 mobile Web sites and applications that make up AdMob’s publisher network.

After the deal closes, AdMob will work with Google to accelerate the pace of innovation in mobile and do an even better job for you. This deal will benefit advertisers, developers and publishers.

You can read more about this deal at www.admob.com/google.

Google Tests New AdSense Management Console

2009-11-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Google Tests New AdSense Management Console

Google Maps Navigation for Android

2009-10-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Google Maps Navigation for Android

Google Custom Search: Google Custom Search for your smartphone

2009-10-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Google Custom Search: Google Custom Search for your smartphone

AdSense is Now Available for Full HTML Mobile Sites

2009-10-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Many mobile devices are now featuring a full HTML web browsing experience. As a result, web developers have often created mobile sites that offer a richer experience than a page full of text links.

Google AdSense is now allowing publishers and web developers to use bigger ads than the typical tiny mobile display ads.

The AdSense team has developed a snippet of Javascript that's easy to embed on your mobile site that gives you more control over the ads displayed on your mobile site. If you're targeting all mobile devices or, for whatever reason, are unable to change your website, AdSense will detect the full HTML mobile browsers and serve up bigger ads for you.

Live Motorola CLIQ / DEXT

2009-09-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

The hardware is not exactly sexy, the software is really quite brilliant. This MOTOBLUR system takes all of your contacts and social networks and integrates them all into a really useful and usable system. You get all of your messages organized perfectly, and you can update status on one or all networks easily – all from the device’s 5 customizable home screens.

There is no multitouch support (yet), but apart from that, Motorola really seems to taking it to HTC and the Sense-based UI found on the Hero. It is going to give Palm a scare as well. For a company that’s never been good at UI design and software, the MOTOBLUR system on the CLIQ is really a very pleasant surprise.

Official Google Mobile Blog: The bright side of sitting in traffic: Crowdsourcing road congestion data

2009-08-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

Official Google Mobile Blog: The bright side of sitting in traffic: Crowdsourcing road congestion data
now you can use Google Maps for mobile with GPS enabled on your phone. When you choose to enable Google Maps with My Location, your phone sends anonymous bits of data back to Google describing how fast you're moving.

2009 is A Great year for Mobile Ad

2009-08-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

AdMob is getting ready to serve its 100 Billionth ad, and other AD firm’s states that mobile advertising is booming. The AdMob company notes that this is over 14 times the entire world population (as of 2008), 107 times the distance (in miles) to the sun. Suffice it to say, that's a lot of mobile advertising. And that's just from AdMob.

AdMob tells that smartphone shipments worldwide are projected to grow 13% this year. You can expect a lot more mobile advertising to come.

eMarketer estimates that there will be 280.8 million mobile phone subscribers by the end of the year. comScore says there will be 29 million smartphone users. eMarketer also projects that US mobile advertising spending will reach $760 million in 2009.
Remember that not that long ago, mobile used to mean simple WAP sites or worse, trying to view a traditional website with a sub-par transcoded experience. Mobile websites have come a long way since then and now provide a rich user experience optimized specifically for mobile.

More and more people are buying smartphones and mobile has become a real medium for advertisers & publishers. No longer for just early adopters, as smartphones have become mainstream, having a strong presence in the mobile landscape has become essential for both mainstream brands and emerging developers alike.

New Mobile Marketing Guidelines Open for Public Review | WebProNews

2009-08-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

New Mobile Marketing Guidelines Open for Public Review | WebProNews

iPhone 3G is Coming: Be prepared

2009-06-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

AT&T Mobility and consumers marked will offer the iphone to its customers.
iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, and we're extremely proud to offer it to our customers on the nation's fastest 3G network, We're also pleased to offer these innovative phones and plans at incredible values, including free Wi-Fi access at nearly 20,000 hot spots.

Pricing is as follows:
- iPhone 3G S will cost $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for new and qualifying customers.

- iPhone 3G will cost $99 (8GB) for new and qualifying customers.

- The 16 GB iPhone 3G will be available for $149 while supplies last.

The prices come with a two-year contract and approved voice and data plan. There are other options to purchase one without the contract.
75% of mobile search is done on iPhones. Around that time, we also learned that smartphone usage continues to grow despite even the economic downturn. Clearly the iPhone is the top dog

Specifications

Steve Jobs announces 3G iPhone

WolframAlpha On iPhone Mobile Search

2009-06-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

The WolframAlpha Blog announced they have launched an iPhone mobile friendly version of their search engine. If you visit www.wolframalpha.com on your iPhone, you should see an iPhone friendly home screen. It looks like this:

The issue is, if you conduct any search, it doesn’t give you an iPhone friendly version of the results page. Yes, the iPhone loads the normal page just find, but I find it weird to announce an iPhone version of a search engine when the search results are not specifically iPhone friendly. Here is a picture of a search results page, which I had to pinch to look good:

Google Launches Local Search Application for Android

2009-06-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

A new app for Android, "Places Directory", that finds businesses that are close to your location. The app will list various business categories, such as restaurants, hotels and banks. Click on a category and get a listing with distance and star ratings. Click on an individual listing to see reviews and photos.
The app is available in the Android Market and initially supports English and Chinese. "Places Directory" is a Google Labs product.

IPhone Gets Bigger as Ad Medium

2009-06-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

In the past several months, companies such as Burger King Holdings Inc., Zippo Manufacturing Co. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. have experimented with promotional software applications that can be downloaded onto the iPhone, or they have created ads that are placed within other popular applications for the device.

From Wall Stree.

List of iPhone Advertiser Best Practices

2009-06-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Iphone Marketing & Advertising
Advertising to users on their devices is the most effective way to promote your application. While the quality of an app is the biggest driver of success, advertising can help users discover your app among the thousands of competing apps in the store. Below are some tips for success that we have learned working with our iPhone partners.

Advertising is most effective when launching a new app
A concentrated burst of downloads is the best way to maximize your ranking in the App Store. Combining downloads you receive as a new application with downloads generated from advertising can create a boost to your initial ranking. In addition, establishing a user base quickly means you receive product feedback, obtain user reviews, and gather usage data. You should also consider advertising when your app drops out of the Top 25 or Top 50 to keep it discoverable by users browsing these lists.

Read more

This will help you to avoid common advertiser mistakes

2009-06-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of variables for an advertiser to consider when setting up and later evaluating the success of their mobile ad campaign. We’ve previously published best practices and optimization tips for all advertisers and tips specifically for iPhone advertisers, however we know that managing an effective campaign is an art and a science. As such we wanted to share a few of the mistakes we’ve seen advertisers make to help you avoid these common pitfalls.

iPhone Searches Longer and More Diverse Than Other Mobile Phones - Search Marketing News Blog - Search Engine Watch (SEW)

2009-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

iPhone Searches Longer and More Diverse Than Other Mobile Phones - Search Marketing News Blog - Search Engine Watch (SEW)

Publisher Bonus in May from AdMob.

2009-05-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

Between May 4 and May 18, mobile advertising network AdMob is giving publishers a 35% bonus on any money transferred over to ads. For example, if you transfer $100 of money made through published ads to actually running an ad yourself, AdMob will add an additional $35 worth of advertising.

With the economy the way it is, We suspect we will continue to see these incentive-based campaigns. It was just yesterday that news came of social search site Scour offering $1,000 in search-based prizes. And Microsoft claims it has had success with its incentive-based programs such as Cashback and Search Perks.

Between May 4 and May 18, mobile advertising network AdMob is giving publishers a 35% bonus on any money transferred over to ads. For example, if you transfer $100 of money made through published ads to actually running an ad yourself, AdMob will add an additional $35 worth of advertising.

With the economy the way it is, we suspect we will continue to see these incentive-based campaigns. It was just yesterday that news came of social search site Scour offering $1,000 in search-based prizes. And Microsoft claims it has had success with its incentive-based programs such as Cashback and Search Perks.

Google Releases Product Search for iPhone and Android

2009-04-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Now, Google is trying to be part of the on-the-go purchase decision process. They've made product search available to Google.com searchers on the iPhone and Android.

video

Report: Yahoo Top Search Performer On Mobile Web

2009-04-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Report: Yahoo Top Search Performer On Mobile Web

Gomez, Inc. and dotMobi have joined together to rate mobile sites across several verticals according to how well they perform on the mobile internet.

IPhone will get free calls on Skype

2009-03-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

Skype will release a free application for the iPhone on Tuesday, enabling owners to make Internet calls via Apple's popular handset. Skype calls do not count against regular cellphone minutes.

Because of restrictions imposed by Apple, you can be on a Skype call only while you have access to Wi-Fi. In cellular-only coverage, you can chat only with Skype buddies.
Parhaps Apple is trying to keep its cellphone carrier partners happy. Skype calls could cut into AT&T's cellphone business.

Other restrictions: You can be on a conference call within the iPhone app but cannot initiate one. And you must be logged in to the app to receive an incoming Skype call.
Skype on the iPhone is welcome despite these drawbacks, especially if you communicate with friends and colleagues overseas and don't want to pay AT&T's lofty rates. As with Skype on your computer, calls to Skype members are free; you can call land lines and mobile phones at low rates. What's more, if you have a headset with a microphone, you can also now make Skype calls on an iPod Touch.

During a call, you can summon an onscreen dialing pad, place a call on hold or turn a speakerphone function on or off. You can display all contacts or only those online. You can consult your call history and change your "status" to indicate when you are online or want to be undisturbed.

Skype newbies can sign up from the iPhone. You can use the iPhone camera to shoot the little picture that will appear next to your name, or choose an existing picture. But you cannot make a video Skype call through the iPhone as you can on your computer. If Apple were to give its blessing, Skype says there's no reason why video calls cannot occur in the future.

इफोने अड़ मर्केद पायस ऑफ़ तो AdMob

2009-03-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

Mobile ad network AdMob has moved aggressively into the iPhone ad market, and it's paying off.
Last month, the company served up 1.2 billion ads worldwide to Apple (AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch devices, In Feb. 2008, it served up about 33 million ads to iPhones, or about 1.3% of its 2.56 billion total ad requests. So while AdMob's overall business has more than doubled year-over-year, its iPhone business has grown much, much faster.

Much of the credit goes to Apple: It's sold more than 30 million iPhones and iPod touches, most during 2008. But give AdMob credit, too: It's been a leader signing up iPhone publishers to its ad network, including iPhone-specific ad units for apps sold through Apple's iTunes App Store and delivered on the mobile Web.

TechCrunch got this line directly from AdMob's report -- but that's the problem. While the iPhone may represent 50% of smartphone traffic on AdMob's network, that is not necessarily an accurate depiction of the broader mobile Web. Why not? AdMob's stats significantly favor the iPhone because of its vast ad inventory in iPhone apps -- ads that are not available on other phones -- and on iPhone-tailored Web sites, which won't work on some phones.
So while AdMob's stats offer a nice look inside their mobile ad business and could be directionally correct in a broader context, they are not an accurate, normalized gauge of overall mobile Web traffic.

Google Friend Connect Launches API

2009-03-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Google Friend Connect, the tool that allowed web developers to add social networking to any site, has launched API. Here's what site owners and developers can expect:

Site owners - Integrate Friend Connect more deeply into your site. JavaScript APIs allow you to integrate a social community directly within the markup of your page, and our REST APIs allow you integrate existing login systems and your existing data with new social data and activities. These are your visitors and this is your site, so you should be able to add social features the way you want.

Plugin developers - Make plugins to integrate with popular content management systems, bulletin boards, or any open framework. To get you started, we have created open source plugin samples for WordPress, Drupal, and phpBB.

Gadget developers - Make OpenSocial applications with greater control over how data flows across servers with signed requests. Use server-side authentication mechanisms so that a site with Friend Connect can act as an OpenSocial container.

2009-03-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yahoo will gives us a new experience in Mobile Internet

Yahoo has announced an exciting new mobile experienced called Yahoo! Mobile.

This service will be available on the mobile Web, as an application developed for the Apple iPhone and for smartphones from Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola as well as those powered by Windows Mobile.

“We think that the new Yahoo! Mobile will transform the way millions of mobile users around the world will interact with the Internet,” explains Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Yahoo! Inc. “Yahoo! Mobile will enable users to create their own Internet starting point on their mobile device so they can better discover, connect to and stay informed about the people and things that are important to them.”
There are several new features for Yahoo! Mobile including:

Yahoo! oneSearch - Yahoo!’s award-winning mobile search service providing the most current, relevant answers you need.
Today - The most interesting stories buzzing on the Internet right now, selected by Yahoo!’s editorial team.
Yahoo! oneConnect - Yahoo!’s service designed to provide consumers everything they need to stay in touch with the people about whom they care:
Email: Access to Yahoo! Mail and other popular email service providers, including Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and AOL Mail.

Pulse: Access to their social networks, including Bebo, Dopplr, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Last.fm, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

Yahoo! Messenger
• Yahoo! Address Book
• Yahoo! Calendar
• Yahoo! News
• Yahoo! onePlace

iPhone WordPress App is now in the Testing Mode

2009-02-22T23:31:00.000-08:00

The Wordpress – Iphone app is underway, but they are looking for hardware testers to get the next version ready for users.

Changes in the iPhones operating system delayed this new update, but now they are nearly ready for the release to the Apple store. The upcoming version includes landscape mode with the extra wide keyboard, link creation help, editing and creating Pages, comment moderation, asynchronous publishing, photo resizing, and a few more goodies.

Skyte integrates into Nokia Cellphones

2009-02-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

To have an application for a mobile platform is one thing; to have it deeply integrated into the phone’s software is another. Knowing that, Skypehas partnered with Nokia to integrate its software into the Finnish company’s handsets, starting with Nokia’s N series of smartphones.

The first smartphone to receive the Skype treatment will be Nokia N97, starting somewhere in the third quarter of 2009, and other devices will follow.

This is especially handy for those international calls from conferences and similar events, when regular phone calls are expensive as hell, but WiFi is almost always freely available. Having Skype integrated with your phone’s core functions means you’ll spend less time fiddling with it to get it to work, which can make the difference between a very pleasant and a very annoying overall experience.

Google Docs are Improving Functionality for your Mobile devices

2009-02-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Google announced an improvement to the mobile version of Google Docs. That is list view for spreadsheets, which allows you to view, edit, sort, and filter your spreadsheets from your mobile device.

Previously, you could only view your spreadsheets on mobile devices. Now, they basically have full functionality.
The mobile access even made better by adding new capabilities with List View for spreadsheets. You can quickly view, edit, sort, and filter your spreadsheets on a variety of mobile devices including Android-powered devices like the T-Mobile G1, the iPhone and iPod touch, and the Nokia S60.

Google launches AdSence for search

2009-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Google has announced a new AdSense mobile product named AdSense for mobile search. AdSense for mobile search gives carriers and mobile publishers a quick way to simply embed a Google search box on their mobile sites.
This is a lot like AdSense for Search, but the mobile version. Currently, this is a private beta so you need to fill out a form and be accepted into the beta to give it a try. Plus, this is fully hosted by Google and runs of their servers.

Google Books Search are now Mobile

2009-02-06T04:55:00.001-08:00

The Google Books Blog announced they have now created a mobile version of Google Books. If you have an iPhone or Android phone just navigate your mobile browser to http://books.google.com/m to start using Google Book search on your mobile device.
There are many differences between the mobile version and the regular version. The most obvious is the look and feel, but the biggest technological difference, as Google explains, is the use of OCR technology. Google Book Search typically shows scans of the page, but if you view the book on a mobile device, they will try to extract the text using OCR and show you plain text, not scanned text.

AdMob Launches Offering for Android Applications

2009-01-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

AdMob has announced the launch of its Android application advertising offering. This allows developers to monetize their apps via a mobile banner ad. AccuWeather, Jirbo, and TapJoy are among apps that are utilizing the new option.
“Android’s open platform enables developers to build rich mobile applications that provide a great experience for users,” said Ali Diab, Vice President of Product Management for AdMob. “We are already seeing strong interest in developing applications for Android-based devices, similar to what we saw with the iPhone last summer, and are very excited to take the lead in helping developers monetize their applications on this fast-growing device platform.”

AdMob has been avaliable to iPhone developers for months now. AdMob also offers advertising options for mobile sites.

Inside AdWords: Seminars for Success in 2009

2009-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Inside AdWords: Seminars for Success in 2009

Google Androide and T mobile

2009-01-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Google and T-Mobile are working to create a new breed of cell phone. The T-Mobile G1 is the world’s first Android Phone.
An “android” is traditionally defined as a robot with human qualities. It’s known as the T-Mobile G1 Android, the Android Phone, the G1 Phone, or (more informally) the Google Phone.

An Android phone allows you to browse the Internet just as you would on a normal computer. It allows one to run several applications at the same time, on one phone. You can switch between applications, and you can also be notified when something new occurs on one of those applications. It allows you to chat and share photos on applications such as Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, etc. It allows you to copy URLs and share them with friends via a chat line, using a simple touch-screen interface.
The G1 Phone integrates fully with your Google accounts. Here are a few of the features and capabilities of this new cell phone:
• Google Maps
• YouTube
• Gmail
• Contacts
• Calendar
• IM (Instant Message)
All of these Google applications will be available to you with a single logon - and they will be automatically synchronized with the web. What that means is that any change you make in one of your google accounts from your phone will also show up the next time you log on from any other computer.
Any information you save on your phone in this way will appear on your computer as well - and vice-versa. If you lose or break your phone, your data will still be there waiting for you on your Google account, which you can access from anywhere in the world. And there is no need to worry about your information being stolen, as its password-protected.
An example of the use of the this phone is the integration of the cell phone with your Google Calendar. Any event you save on your Google Calendar will be available to you on your phone, wherever you are. So you can access your schedule easily, on the go and from anywhere, as long as you have your phone with you.
No more schedule books! And you can probably say goodbye to those tiny notebooks and pads of paper you carry around to save your information.
What’s more, once you save information on your Android phone, there’s no need to transfer it over after you get home. Its all there, safely stored on your Google account, for ready access whenever you need it.

Report from AdMob network.

2009-01-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Apple now dominates the mobile web in the U.S. with a 48% market share. This growth, interestingly enough, does not just come from the iPhone, but the iPod touch also saw a meteoric rise in usage during the last month. Traffic from the iPod touch to AdMob's network in the U.S. increased 3.4 times from November to December.

Overall, requests from the iPod touch increased from 18 million in July 2008 to 292 million in December. While traffic from the iPod touch grew at a steady clip over the last few month, a good part of this growth came, not unsurprisingly, in the week after Christmas. After the iPhone (10%), the iPod touch (4.7% ) is now the second most popular mobile device on sites that run AdMob's advertising. Overall, iPhone requests grew 86% since November.

Read more at AdMob

Mobile phone users are on the rise

2008-12-29T02:40:00.000-08:00

According to comScore, there are 228 million mobile phone users, and data plan subscriptions are on the rise. Subscriptions are up 37% from last year, with 37.8 million users now subscribing to data plans. Unlimited data plans, those without restrictions to Internet access, account for nearly all of that growth, rising 47.4% from 2007.

But what about local search
People in the mobile industry predict smartphones will dominate by 2014. But what will happen in the interim with mobile local search?
Like other advertising supported services, free directory assistance services offer callers a toll-free number to reach an automated system. They then can ask for a particular business or ask for business recommendations by a location in a city. At the outset, the system plays an advertisement, and there can be other ads later in the call. The system can also provide details to the caller’s wireless phone via text messages.

For those trying to reach mobile users who haven’t upgraded to smartphones, marketing with free directory assistance seems the smart way to go.

What about Google Android in 2009

2008-12-26T04:25:00.000-08:00

There will be several mobile devices that run the Google Android operating system.
Android is currently only available on the G1 for T-Mobile, but that will change soon. By the end of 2009, we’ll see more manufacturers using Android on their devices, including Motorola and Samsung. In addition to the G1, HTC will be launching more units that run the operating system in 2009.
The Open Handset Alliance will grow, and more companies will promise to have devices running the open source operating system. The hype around Android will fuel development, and make the Android Marketplace successful.

Advertising on mobile phones seems to be getting through, at last.

2008-12-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

MARKETERS have often claimed that mobile advertising is taking off. But this time they could be right. Global numbers are hard to come by, but a leading mobile-advertising firm, AdMob, says the number of advertisements it has delivered worldwide has tripled, and this because many of the obstacles that have held mobile advertising back are going away.

Apple’s iPhone, Google’s G1 and the BlackBerry Storm have solved this problem. They have touch-screens large enough to display the web properly—and advertisements, too.
Faster networks and lower rates also help. Having to wait for an advert to download, while being charged for the privilege, was unlikely to inspire warm feelings about the product being advertised. But with download speeds increasing and flat-rate “all you can eat” data plans, mobile services and applications are becoming more popular—and, increasingly, funded by advertising.

Perhaps most importantly, marketers are starting to work out which types of advertising work on mobile phones. Simple text-messages and banner adverts still dominate, but a more interesting idea is to spread the word using several channels. Amobee, a start-up, allows customers to insert adverts not just into text messages and mobile-internet sites, but also into games and other programs that run on handsets.
Advertising on mobile phones, like that on social-networking sites, presents risk and opportunity. The risk is that it can seem intrusive, since it appears in an intensely personal context. But that is also what makes it so attractive to advertisers—provided they can target their audience without seeming insensitive.

Get AdWords campaign into G1 and iPhone

2008-12-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

G1 and iPhone ads have many of the same benefits as standard mobile-format ads, such as allowing you to deliver mobile-specific calls-to-action and reaching your audience when they're on the go. Showing ads on the G1 and iPhone also has additional advantages for your advertising. Users are performing a lot of searches on these devices, and searches are likely to go up during the holiday season. Last Christmas, the iPhone drove more traffic to Google.com worldwide than any other mobile platform.

Read more on Google's mobile blog

Flickr adds mobile video-sharing features

2008-12-07T02:25:00.000-08:00

Flickr has "radically overhauled" their mobile video-sharing features in an effort to make the popular video and photo sharing site more easy to use on your phone.

The completely "revamped" m.flickr.com is currently available to users of the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch but will soon be available to any smartphone using Firefox or Opera mobile browsers.

Flickr mobile is still being developed for Nokia N series owners as well as phones using the Android operating platform.

Google Releases Enhanced Maps Features for iPhone

2008-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

and it requires software update
Google announced today that it has updated Google Maps features for the iPhone. This includes the addition of:
-Street View
-Public Transit
-Walking Directions

"The most eye-catching one is Street View," says Mobile Maps software engineer Joe Hughes. "Apple's silky-smooth implementation makes it a joy to pan around the world. You might wonder why you'd want to look at panoramas of the world while you're already out in it, but I've found it handy for getting an idea of what to look for when going somewhere new. In somewhere like New York, it's also a great way to get your bearings when you pop out of a subway station in an unfamiliar part of town."

The public transit feature includes over 100 cities around the world, offering schedules for transportation systems, and this number is likely to grow as more systems elect to participate.

As an added bonus, you can email info about your location to friends, which can definitely come in handy when you're trying to meet somebody somewhere. To get all of the new features, you have to go to iTunes and update your phone's software. Now some are wondering when these features will become available for Android

Google now Sync for Blackberry

2008-11-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

As more of its services are used in business environments, Google started to provide synchronization tools for mail, calendar and contacts, but their launch wasn't timely and they were pretty limited. For example, the Google Calendar/Outlook sync tool is limited to the main calendar, while the Blackberry sync application doesn't upload preexisting events to Google Calendar.

To install the application, visit m.google.com/sync from a Blackberry

The good news is that Google's applications are constantly improving. The sync tool for Blackberry added support for contacts synchronization. "This new functionality will enable you to sync your handheld's built-in address book with your Gmail contacts. This all happens in the background and over the air, so your information is always up to date, no matter where you are or what you're doing," explains Google Mobile blog.

Google Voice Search To The iPhone

2008-11-14T02:56:00.000-08:00

The New York Times reports in Friday’s newspaper that Google’s iPhone app will be updated with voice search capability. The move should come as no surprise: The launch of Goog411 in 2007 brought immediate speculation that mobile voice search was on the way, and Google tells the Times that data collection from the Goog411 project helped create this new iPhone service.

Currently 1-800-Free411 is the leader in the ad-supported free directory assistance market.

With the new Google iPhone app, you’ll be able to speak your search query into the phone rather than having to type it out. The Times article explains what happens after you ask your question:

"The sound is converted to a digital file and sent to Google’s servers, which try to determine the words spoken and pass them along to the Google search engine.
The search results, which may be displayed in just seconds on a fast wireless network, will at times include local information, taking advantage of iPhone features that let it determine its location."

New Firefox for Mobile

2008-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

A modern version of the browser wars of the 1990s could be shaping up, with the battleground being the mobile phone. And there's a new list of contenders: Safari on the iPhone, Internet Explorer Mobile for Windows Mobile, RIM's BlackBerry Web browser, and a version of Chrome for Google's Android phones. Within the next few months, there will be a new entry: a scaled-down, sped-up version of Firefox, called Fennec.

Last week, Mozilla, the nonprofit organization behind Firefox, released an "alpha" version of Fennec, just as the desktop version of its browser reached 20 percent of the market for the first time.

Yellowbook Launches G1 Mobile Application

2008-11-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Local business publisher Yellowbook has launched a new mobile application for the G1, the brand new Android-powered phone. Yellowbook already has apps for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm, and the iPhone.
If you want to download it to your phone, follow these instructions:
1. Tap the Browser icon on the home page.
2. Tap Go to URL.
3. Enter yellowbook.com in the URL bar.
4. Tap Go.
5. Tap the pictures of the phones on the lower right side of the page.
6. Expand the screen to view instructions for this phone, located at the top right.
7. From your phone, TAP HERE to start the download process.
8. Follow your phone prompts for downloading the application.
For more information on Yellowbook's mobile apps, visit http://www.yellowbook.com/iphone-windows-mobile-blackberry/.

Google Android and Open-Source

2008-10-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

When Google announced Android, its software platform for mobile devices, it released an SDK for developers to work with, but it also promised to eventually release the code under an open-source license. Today, Google and its partners in the Open Handset Alliance did exactly that. You can now download the code and help Google and its partners to develop it further. The source code has been released under the Apache 2.0 license and consists of the complete codebase of Android, including all the libraries, media codecs, and applications.

The timing of this announcement coincides with the release of the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, which will go on sale tomorrow.

Apache License

The Apache License allows developers to distribute and modify the source code in any way they want, and developers are not required to distribute the new code under the same license. The new license does not even have to be an open-source license, which will give companies the option to develop their own, proprietary platforms on the basis of Android.

iPhone and Android Compete for Developers

It will be interesting to see where developers will take the Android platform now that they have full access to it. We have already seen the release of quite a few very interesting programs for Android in anticipation of the G1 launch.
This announcement also sets Google apart from Apple, which is trying to keep complete control over its iPhone platform. While most users probably don't care about the politics behind the scenes, the Android platform might siphon off quite a few developers from the iPhone - especially given Apple's erratic behavior around including applications in the iTunes store lately.

T-Mobile G2, another Google Android Phone

2008-10-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

With the launch of the T-Mobile G2 hitting stores, on October, 22 people are already asking what the next Google Android will look like. The new phone will obviously be called the G2, and one thing is certain, it should be able to learn from the G1 and become one of the best handsets on the planet.

Our friends over at Phones Review have managed to get hold of some mockup photos of the T-Mobile G2, and boy do they look good. Who would have thought that people would stop talking about the G1 for a bit and start talking about what the G2 will be like.
Phones Review tell us that the new T-Mobile G2 will have less dead space, will be flush, have a tilting screen with twice the resolution. With Google throwing its weight behind the phone, it should have some of the best software on any handset.

Slashdot | Motorola To Hire 300 Android Developers

2008-10-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Slashdot | Motorola To Hire 300 Android Developers

Google's Android is starting to see more industry support. Motorola recently announced plans, despite hardships within the company, to hire 300 Android developers. Quoting: 'A quick search of Motorola's job openings suggests that, indeed, Android is set to become a permanent fixture at Motorola, which has long built Linux-based phones but hitherto used MontaVista's Mobilinux.

Move from an internal development pool of 50 Android-savvy developers to 350. Motorola, recognizing that most developers won't have deep experience with Google Android, is looking for a somewhat general skillset ... Java and Google Android programming experience is listed as "highly desirable," but not required

IBM Offers Lotus Notes For Apple's IPhone

2008-09-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

IBM Offers Lotus Notes For Apple's IPhone

IBM said Tuesday it was making its Lotus Notes tools, including email and calendar applications, available for Apple Inc.'s iPhone. The latest version of Notes would allow customers to access the software via the Safari browser on the iPhone.

The iPhone, has begun to attract the interest of corporate customers as a competitor to Research In Motion Ltd.'s (RIMM) BlackBerry device, since Apple launched a software developers' kit allowing anyone to develop applications for the phone and making it easier for the phone to be connected to corporate IT systems. Network operators have begun offering corporate tariffs for the iPhone.

Developing Applications for Android

2008-09-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

Developers can create applications for the platform using the Android SDK.

Applications are written using the Java programming language and run on Dalvik, a custom virtual machine designed for embedded use, which runs on top of a Linux kernel.
A beta version of the Android SDK is available for download. Along with the Android framework and application libraries, it includes sample projects with source code, a device emulator, and development tools for monitoring and debugging your code and GUI layout.

Android, for publishers and advertisers

2008-09-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

Google and T-Mobile officially unveiled the new G1 – the first Android powered mobile phone.

What does it mean for publishers and advertisers? In short, more exciting mobile opportunities. Powerful devices that open the door to the possibilities of mobile for consumers are a key factor in growing both usage and engagement with data services. But they are not the only factor. Dramatically increased usability of devices, greater processing power, and faster network speeds have also played a role in pushing the industry forward.
Openness is another big factor and the launch of Android and the G1 will add velocity to an important trend in mobile. We are watching the progression from tight industry control over the data services to the open access that I believe will drive the future of mobile. We’ve seen that as devices become more powerful and open, data usage skyrockets. The iPhone was the first real proof point. The dramatic increase in consumer adoption, usage and engagement with data services on the iPhone shocked many people and opened a lot of eyes.
This pent-up consumer demand has lead to the explosion in the range of content and services available on mobile devices that we see today. Developers, small publishers and big media companies are taking advantage of this opportunity and embracing the mobile platform as a way to deliver great experiences for consumers. For advertisers it is expanding their ability to reach engaged mobile consumers in rich environments with unique functionality that other platforms can’t match.
As these great user experiences drive greater usage companies can deliver even more highly relevant ads. We can also create new interactive advertising formats that take advantage of the capabilities and mobile context of these powerful new open devices.

The new Googl Phone called the G1is here.

2008-09-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

The new Google (GOOG) phone, called the G1, made its long-awaited debut on Tuesday in New York, officially marking the arrival of Google to the big-stakes game of global wireless.

T-Mobile is the first U.S. carrier to offer the device, which will cost $179. Consumers must sign a two-year contract for data and voice. Data plans will start at $25 a month. The device won't be available until Oct. 22, but buyers can pre-order on T-Mobile's website.

What does this mean to you, dear Search Engine Marketers and Website Owners? It means that you have to start paying attention to the mobile internet.

You'll need mobile versions of your websites. And I don't mean with .mobi extensions, no, you'll need the ability to know what device your visitors are browsing from - whether it's an iPhone, G1 or other device - and be able to send them to a mobile-friendly site accordingly.

The mobile site will need also to compatible with the mobile browsers. G1 will be using a browser built on Webkit, something Chrome uses too. Developing mobile applications that reside on the phone itself will become a marketing tool all on its own.

Mobile will advance all of these initiatives. iPhone got the ball rolling. But G1 may just take it to the next level, if for no other reason but reaching those, who, for whatever reason (phone contract, pricing, touch-screen only, etc) are not on board with the iPhone.

Are you ready?

The First Android Phone Will Be Launched Next Week

2008-09-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The First Android Phone is Launched

T-Mobile USA plans to begin selling the first smart phone powered by Google Inc.'s new mobile software late next month, according to people familiar with the matter, facing off against Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry with a device that blends aspects of both.

While some wireless companies working with Google's Android mobile software have hit delays, the T-Mobile phone is coming out on schedule. Backers are optimistic Android-based handsets can take sales from rivals.

T-Mobile USA is introducing the high-profile device as it begins to upgrade its network nationwide to support third-generation broadband services. Google hopes that hundreds of phone models will be built around Android, giving the company another way to deliver advertisements and drive revenue.
The phone will be available at the end of October, but you can see a demo from Google Developer Day in London.

Official Google Mobile Blog: New magical blue circle on your map

2008-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Official Google Mobile Blog: New magical blue circle on your map

Last November, Google introduced its My Location feature in Google Maps for Mobile. It uses cell tower IDs to triangulate the location of the phone and then identifies that location on the Google Maps interface. With a bit less precision, it essentially does the same thing that GPS does: eliminate the need to enter a geomodifier to find things nearby.

Get ready for mobile social networks

2008-09-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Get ready for mobile social networks

Mobile social networking makes sense because mobile devices are personal and they are taken everywhere, offering the potential for transmission of quick ideas or images. Mobile social networks will (and some already do) put video, GPS, text, voice and collaboration into the palm of a user's hand.

For example, a business traveler at a conference in an unfamiliar city could be walking past an appealing restaurant. Using mapping and location technologies, the traveler could almost instantly send a quick note to 10 friends in her workgroup to "meet here in 15 minutes for a meal." Or the hungry traveler could record a video of herself standing in front of the restaurant and send the video clip along with the message so her workgroup friends would know what kind of restaurant to expect.

The future of mobile social networks became a major topic of discussion in seminars and forums at the CTIA trade show this week. Device manufacturers, network operators and social network providers debated how the services will be paid for and by whom, and what steps must be taken to protect user privacy and safety.

Mobile social networks have not been widely adopted in the U.S., where between 5% and 10% of mobile users are participating, said Karsten Weide, an IDC analyst who spoke on a panel about the trend. But Weide said the number of users could easily double in a year, given the amount of interest in the concept by so many industry players. Adding to the reason for optimism, prominent vendors, including Verizon Wireless and Nokia Corp., announced a variety of tools at CTIA to help users aggregate social networks into a single interface.

Will Chrome go to Android?

2008-09-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

By Odd J. Vik

If you don't know what Google Android is you should, I recommend you look it up. If you are one of those brave souls that downloaded the new Google Chrome browser then you will be happy to know that Chrome will most likely be the browser of Android mobile phones according to Google developers.

With three major players—Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari—fighting the latest iteration of the browser wars, Google is set to elbow its way into the game today with Chrome, the search giant’s new, open-source software for browsing the Web.

Chrome will be a pretty aggressive piece of software. Since each new tab is effectively running a new program, the overall application will consume more and more system resources with each tab you launch. Google has amassed an army of talented programmers who put a premium on architectural simplicity. So we’re assuming this will be done with a degree of elegance. But by giving each tab in its own process, Chrome should allow Java and Flash developers to design their applications to a higher level of complexity, knowing that a glitch in their Web app will not bring down the entire browser. And if your browser can run the most sophisticated new Web applications and your competitor’s can not, that’s a pretty compelling reason for people to switch browsers

Optimized browsing is a dangerous game. If Google Apps starts to work better in Chrome than in Internet Explorer and Firefox, then I’m just as likely to stop using Google Apps as I am to start using Chrome exclusively, and I doubt this will happen. Chrome is based on the open-source WebKit architecture, and Google claims that its code will be open source, so it’s unlikely that the company is trying to corner the market on browser functionality, since innovations are eminently copyable. Instead, I’m guessing that Google will try to use its new browser to steer the direction of Web development. That’s a mighty big ship to steer, and one that tends to find its own path. And as that all plays out, Chrome will take its place as one of many browsing tools in the collective Web arsenal

Verizon Wireless Discusses a Mobile Search Deal With Google - NYTimes.com

2008-08-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Verizon Wireless Discusses a Mobile Search Deal With Google - NYTimes.com

Verizon Wireless and Google, two industry Goliaths that have seen each other as potential rivals, are discussing a partnership that would give Google’s search service a prominent spot on the screens of Verizon phones, according to people briefed on the talks.

The discussions are being spurred by the growing popularity of sophisticated devices like the iPhone that have simplified Web searching on mobile phones. New phones like those based on Google’s Android software, and models coming from Research in Motion and others, are likely to accelerate the trend.

Free Preview - WSJ.com

2008-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Verizon, Google Close To Mobile Search Deal

Verizon, Google Close To Mobile Search Deal from the Wall Street Journal reports that Google and Verzion are close on a deal. The deal would make Google the default search provided for Verizon mobile devices. In the past, Verizon and other mobile carriers were reluctant to let Google or other search companies invade this space, but that might be over with.

The Wall Street Journal says Verizon wants Google to create a new search platform that would be a one-stop shop. In exchange, Google would share the ad revenue with Verizon under this platform. The details of the deal are not complete yet.

Introducing the Android Security Team - Android Security Announcements | Google Grupper

2008-08-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Introducing the Android Security Team - Android Security Announcements | Google Grupper

Developers of Android, the Linux mobile platform spearheaded by Google Inc., are asking security experts for input.

The latest software development kit for Android was released earlier this week and plans are for the 1.0 version of the operating system to be shipped on mobile phones later this year.

Security is a priority. "As you may expect, building and maintaining a secure mobile platform is a difficult task," wrote the Android Security Team.

T-Mobile to Offer First Phone With Google Software - NYTimes.com

2008-08-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile to Offer First Phone With Google Software - NYTimes.com

Smartphone Is Expected via Google from the New York Times reports that T-Mobile will be the first carrier of the Google's Android powered mobile phone.

HTC is the manufacturer of the phone's hardware, while Google is heading up the software for the phone. The phone is expected to launch as early as October, well before the Christmas holiday season. It is expected that we'll hear Google announce the details of the phone sometime in September, according to the New York Times.

Sprint has also been working with Google, but has not yet confirmed when they will officially service the phone. AT&T and Verzion Wireless have both not made a commitment to provide service for the phone.

Google has officially confirmed the phone is coming this year.

WordPress on iPhone

2008-07-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

If you have an iPhone, and you are a blogger? Then you're going to love this news - there's now a WordPress app for iPhone available for download from the iTunes App Store. The software lets you update your WordPress blog from anywhere. We're not forgiving Apple for that MobileMe nonsense just yet, but we have to admit, this is pretty good stuff.
The new WordPress App for iPhone supports both WordPress.com installations as well as self-hosted Wordpress.org blogs that are version 2.5.1 and above.

The app includes the following features:
- Embedded Safari previews of posts
- Full support for tags & categories
- Photo support for both camera phone pics and library photos
- Support for multiple blogs
- Ability to password protect a post, save as draft, or mark for later review
- Auto-recovery feature recovers posts interrupted by phone calls
More info at iphone.wordpress.org

JumpTap Adds New York Office in Growing Mobile Search Market [SearchEngineWatch]

2008-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

JumpTap Adds New York Office in Growing Mobile Search Market [SearchEngineWatch]

The mobile search world paints a slightly different picture of the distribution of search providers. Yes, we have the big guns as the dominant forces in the mobile search marketplace. But many of the carriers view the big search companies as rivals, and have opted to partner with lesser known.. continue to read.

Google, Facebook Release iPhone Applications | WebProNews

2008-07-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

Google, Facebook Release iPhone Applications

Whether you love the device or hate it, stories about the iPhone are going to be hard to escape for a few weeks. Google and Facebook appear to fall into that first category, and have added to the hubbub by releasing iPhone-specific applications.

iPhones are able to browse the Web, of course, so at first glance, these apps look a little bit redundant. Their existence speaks to the popularity of the iPhone, though, along with corporate desires to please the device's user base. And the apps do offer a few new tricks.

Macworld | The iPhone 3G: What you need to know

2008-07-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Macworld | The iPhone 3G: What you need to know

With the iPhone 3G’s release just days away, it’s time to revisit the pressing questions relating to Apple’s next-generation phone. We still don’t know everything about this forthcoming iPhone 3G—and probably won’t until we’ve picked one up on Friday morning—we do know more than we did immediately after Steve Jobs previewed the iPhone 3G at last month’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

How much faster is it than the current iPhone?

AT&T says that the iPhone 3G will have typical download speeds as high as 1.4Mbps versus average data speeds between 75Kbps and 135Kbps on its EDGE network. During Steve Jobs’s keynote, it took 21 seconds to load a graphics-heavy Web page using 3G versus 59 seconds on EDGE. Similarly, an e-mail attachment took 5 seconds over 3G and 18 seconds on EDGE.

Of course, Macworld contributor Glenn Fleishman pointed out in his 3G guide last month that comparing 2G and 3G browser and e-mail attachment loading times isn’t the most revealing exercise. The most important thing to know about 3G is that data transfer speeds will likely be faster than what iPhone veterans are used to—and more important, that there’s room for 3G to grow.

Google Maps For Mobile Gains Voice Search | WebProNews

2008-07-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Google Maps For Mobile Gains Voice Search | WebProNews

The feature is experimental, and for better or for worse, current tests will limit participation to American owners of the 8110, 8120, and 8130 BlackBerry Pearl models. If you're one, you only need to press "0" to center your map view and then hold "the left-side key . . . while you say the name or type of business you're looking for" to get some results, according to a post on the Google Mobile Blog.

You should cross your fingers, as well - some promises of improvements may not say much about the technology's current state - but the feature's likely to spread, and this is an important step forward for Google.

Google Improves Search For Blackberry Devices

2008-06-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

Google Improves Search For Blackberry Devices

Small Businesses Making More Use Of Smartphones

2008-06-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Small business owners are realizing the necessity to stay connected.
Simple access is one thing, but the real power comes from enabling businesses with applications that keep mobile work forces in touch with inventory data, customer relationship information, and other enterprise data.
While AMI says 84% of BlackBerry owners and 68% of Palm owners use their smartphone to access e-mail, these are viewed as "basic" services. Small businesses really are interested in the meatier stuff. AMI noted, "Business applications such as location-based (field service/delivery) and CRM applications are becoming the trend. Thus, pricing plans from telecom service providers are crucial when it comes to driving adoption...

Given the above, partnerships between mobile manufacturers and telecom service providers have been a key to driving adoption."
In other words, if the price is right, small businesses will bite.

Nielsen: Google Already Dominant In Mobile Search

2008-06-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Nielsen: Google Already Dominant In Mobile Search

Nielsen Mobile is reporting that Google leads rivals Yahoo and Microsoft in mobile search by margins comparable to those on the desktop.
Here's how mobile search market share breaks out according to the audience measurement firm:

1. Google (61%)
2. Yahoo! (18%)
3. MSN (5%)

Nielsen also reported the following mobile search usage frequency:
* Google: 9 searches per month
* Yahoo! 6.7 searches per month

Google Mobile Advertising on the Content Network - Search Engine Watch

2008-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Google Mobile Advertising on the Content Network - Search Engine Watch

Now you know the steps necessary to create your first mobile search ad campaign. You also know that it doesn't require creating special mobile versions of your site because the user action is to click on an ad that automatically places a phone call to your business. Today, we'll pull the spotlight off search and focus on the steps necessary to create a mobile ad campaign that displays banner ads on Google's mobile content network.

This campaign also won't require mobile Web site design, because clicks on the ad will be directed to a Google-supplied mobile-friendly page describing your business. This is really sweet because Google provides lots of space on that page for you to describe your business, competitive advantages, etc., as well as a clickable link that lets potential customers call you immediately. Such ads are ideal for businesses that rely on phone calls to start or close a sale -- fast food restaurants or professional services, for example.

Location-Aware in Google Maps for cellphones

2008-06-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

Google Opens Application to 3rd Party Developers
Last year, a Google maps for mobile upgrade included the "My Location" feature. It allows users to find out where they are even if their phones don't have GPS. Now Google is opening up the application to 3rd party developers.
My Location uses cell phone towers to approximate the location of a cell phone user. Google mobile team explained:
"If the phone has GPS, the Maps application on the phone sends the GPS coordinates along with the cell ID to the Google location server. Over millions of such updates, across multiple phones, carriers, and times, the server clusters the GPS updates corresponding to a particular cell ID to find their rough center. So when a phone without GPS needs its own location, the application on the phone queries the Google location server with the cell tower ID to translate that into a geographic location, i.e., latitude/longitude coordinates."
Gears for Windows Mobile and Android already have location APIs, and Google says they expect to see the My Location API implemented on the Apple iPhone applications as early as this month, as Apple launches their highly anticipated store for iPhone apps.

Internet Marketing
Online Annonsering

FAQ: Meet the new iPhone 3G

2008-06-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

FAQ: Meet the new iPhone 3G

Jobs spent several minutes bragging about the new iPhone's faster speeds, and at one point said it was "approaching Wi-Fi" in performance. In fact, one slide said a file attachment that would take 59 seconds to download over EDGE would take just 21 seconds using 3G. That makes 3G about 2.8 times faster than EDGE.
The same attachment, said Jobs, would take 17 seconds to download using a wireless hotspot.

Internet Marketing
Online Annonsering

Google Mobile Advertising: Start Now! - Search Engine Watch

2008-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Google Mobile Advertising: Start Now! - Search Engine Watch

For many advertisers, dipping a toe into mobile advertising means facing the complicated prospect of creating special versions of their web sites. Different carriers and phone manufacturers require a bewildering array of protocols and markup languages. Google provides some mobile site resources for sorting out the options, but fortunately there are alternatives to creating mobile sites that can get many advertisers started without any time-consuming, expensive web development.

Official Google Mobile Blog: Get bus and train directions on the go with Google Maps for mobile

2008-06-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Official Google Mobile Blog: Get bus and train directions on the go with Google Maps for mobile

Ever since Google Maps added public transportation directions for San Francisco, it's been a lot easier for me to figure out which buses and trains will get me where I'm going around town, so that today's gas prices take less of a toll on my wallet. Even so, I've often found myself wishing that I had an easy way to get transit directions while I'm out and about.

Mobile Web 2.0

2008-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

By Odd J. Vik

Where are we at the moment in the mobile Web area.
Mobile Web 2.0, which includes cell phone-based blogging, multimedia sharing, location-based socialization services, gaming and chat, according to new research.
Five major types of mobile social networks dominate the landscape
• SMS messaging networks
• Friend/community networks
• Personal content networks (photos and blogging)
• Location-based social networks
• Dating networks
The total number of global mobile social network users will jump from 525 million this year to 975 million in 2012.

Microsoft to Introduce Advertising in Live Search Mobile

2008-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Microsoft to Introduce Advertising in Live Search Mobile

Now, Microsoft has laid down its plans for the introduction of advertising for Live Search Mobile. Currently, this service is in 'Beta Mode' and available to United States advertisers only. However, Microsoft is optimistic about expanding the service in 2008.

Microsoft has also introduced display advertising on Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail products.

According to Brian Arbogast (Corporate VP, Mobile Services, Microsoft), "In today's connected world, the mobile device is emerging as a prime opportunity for advertisers to reach their audience. This announcement is evidence of our commitment to providing advertisers with further opportunities to connect and engage consumers throughout their 'digital day' " at home, at work and on the go across multiple platforms, devices and geographic regions."

For those interested to apply for this program can sign up here.
http://advertising.microsoft.com/adcenter-beta-pilot-signup

Internet Marketing

Social Networking on Mobile Phones is Hot in the UK [SearchEngineWatch]

2008-05-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Social Networking on Mobile Phones is Hot in the UK [SearchEngineWatch]

Nielsen has released data showing the popularity of social networks being used via mobile phones in the UK. Here are three key takeaway points:

* Almost half (44%) of UK mobile phone subscribers belong to an online social network. Of this group, one in four (25%) use their mobile phone for social networking-related activities
* Around 812,000 Britons each month, or 1.7% of all UK mobile subscribers, visited a social networking website using their mobile during the first quarter of 2008
* Facebook is the most popular site for mobile social networking, being visited by over half a million Britons (557,000) from their mobiles, or 9% of all UK Mobile Internet subscribers.

Internet Marketing
Online Annonsering

DoubleClick Mobile Integrates with Mobile Ad Networks [SearchEngineWatch]

2008-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

DoubleClick Mobile Integrates with Mobile Ad Networks [SearchEngineWatch]

Just one week after Google announced mobile image ads, the newly acquired DoubleClick is announcing the integration of its mobile ads with mobile ad networks. The networks are AdMob, Google Adsense, and Millenial Media's Mbrand and Decktrade networks.

"This integration is a great example of how DoubleClick is working with key industry players to bring value to publishers by enhancing the liquidity of mobile display inventory," said Ari Paparo, group product manager for DoubleClick products. "We believe that the ability to sell mobile inventory directly and indirectly will provide mobile advertisers with more options, ultimately leading to better monetization for publishers."

Internet Marketing
Online Annonsering

Google Image Ads: Display Ads For Mobile

2008-04-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Google Image Ads: Display Ads For Mobile

Yesterday Google announced mobile image ads. The ads are displayed on the mobile sites of publishers that are participating in AdSense for mobile (or that opt-in to the new program). Mobile image ads are created in users' AdWords accounts and require more or less the same type of setup as traditional AdSense ads. The image ads are keyword targeted, priced on a PPC basis and must be associated with a mobile URL (rather than an HTML page), so a mobile site or landing page is a prerequisite to participating in the program.

From Internet Marketing

Mobile advertising hits wireless Web first - CNET News.com

2008-04-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Mobile advertising hits wireless Web first - CNET News.com

As mobile operators take the slow road toward adding advertising on cell phones, big media brands with mobile Web sites are fast-tracking plans to add advertising to those sites.

Fox News announced Monday that it is partnering with Third Screen Media to help it inject advertising throughout its mobile properties. Initially, Third Screen Media will insert banner advertising on Fox News' mobile Web site. While no further plans have been announced, Fox News will likely add video advertising and other forms of advertising using Third Screen's technology at a later date.

Inernet Marketing
Online Annonsering

Mobile Tech News -- Opera Mini for Android, Half Off IM+ for BlackBerry, RSS Feed

2008-04-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Mobile Tech News -- Opera Mini for Android, Half Off IM+ for BlackBerry, RSS Feed

Opera Mini Already Available for Android

Opera Software has released a technical preview of its Opera Mini web browser for smartphones running the Android operating system.

Naturally, this can't be a regular release, as devices running Android won't be on the market until later this year. Still, the company invites the Android development community to test this early version and share feedback with Opera for the forthcoming beta.

For more information or to download the Opera Mini for Android technical preview, visit: http://labs.opera.com/

Mobile Advertising to spike from $1.7 billion to $2.7 billion in 2008

2008-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mobile Advertising to spike from $1.7 billion to $2.7 billion in 2008

A new research report from Gartner on the state of mobile advertising worldwide has predicted huge growth in the industry in 2008, stating a 58% increase in revenue from $1.7 billion to $2.7 billion.

The report also predicts a $12.8 billion industry by the end of 2011.

Tole Hart, research director at Gartner, explains: “Innovative developments, such as minimising the number of keystrokes required to access information, using the phone’s camera to improve the overall user experience and tying content or shopping location relevancy to advertisements will move the market forward.”

Internet Marketing

Online And Mobile Ad Spending Reached $29 Billion In 2007 | WebProNews

2008-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

Online And Mobile Ad Spending Reached $29 Billion In 2007

U.S. spending on online and mobile advertising increased to $29.9 billion in 2007, according to PQ Media's "Alternative Media Forecast: 2008-2012" report.

The firm said 18 digital and non-traditional media segments, accounted for 16.1 percent of total advertising and marketing spending in 2007, up from 7.9 percent in 2002.

"By 2012, we anticipate one out of every four dollars spent on advertising and marketing will be earmarked for alternative media," said Patrick Quinn, President and CEO of PQ Media. "Alternative advertising and marketing media are driving a new media order that presents vast opportunities for industry stakeholders, but also key challenges for some of the fastest-growing digital media segments."

Internet Marketing

Microsoft Yahoo Announce Mobile Moves

2008-04-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Yahoo Announce Mobile Moves

Both Microsoft and Yahoo announce big moves in the area of mobile and mobile search today.Microsoft plans to upgrade its mobile Internet Explorer browser, according to an announcement released yesterday (no word on whether thats just prank, though). Microsofts press release states that this will bring...

HEXUS.lifestyle - Press Release :: Consumers Demand Personal Touch from Mobile Advertising : Page - 1/1

2008-04-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

HEXUS.lifestyle - Press Release :: Consumers Demand Personal Touch from Mobile Advertising

New research from T-Mobile into mobile advertising trends has found that advertisers should be investing in mobile advertising as well as traditional advertising media, but only if they are willing to meet consumer demand for more relevant and personalised content. The research highlights that consumers are open to new forms of mobile advertising only if it is tailored to their specific needs and on their own terms. This applies to services they interact with and the information they seek, to actually giving them something in return for their time. Brands need to rethink their approach to mobile advertising, as consumers believe advertisements need to be more creative and cutting edge when appearing on mobile.

Internet Marketing

Yahoo Introduces Wide Range Of Mobile Search Improvements

2008-04-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Introduces Wide Range Of Mobile Search Improvements

(Yesterday, Microsoft announced that voice search capabilities were being expanded for Live Search.)

Yahoo is also opening up mobile search in the same way it has on the desktop with Search Monkey (the unofficial name). Ott told me that publishers and site owners could do this once for both desktop and mobile or they could do something separate for mobile as well. (Think: dynamic feeds that repond to mobile use cases.) According to Ott, this will likely impact (though not determine) mobile search rankings.