Tag Archives: mobile web
Mobile optimization attracts views for news content marketing
A report from comScore suggests optimizing sites for mobile has become a competitive necessity for companies using industry news content marketing. The study highlights the continued trend of Americans accessing news and other information on tablets. According to comScore, 37.1 percent of tablet users accessed newspapers on their devices between June and August 2012. Similarly, almost 40 percent read magazines and other publications during the same time period. For marketers targeting adults aged 25 to 34, news content fully available on the mobile web is increasingly important. This age group accounted for the largest proportion of readership with 27.4 percent of respondents saying they access news content on tablets Continue reading
Google rolls out icons to highlight sites optimized for mobile users
SEO and web content expert Bryson Meunier recently reported on his personal website that Google has rolled out mobile icons on its smartphone and tablet SERPs to direct users to sites optimized for mobile devices. This should be a cue to cater to mobile audiences for marketers who currently derive a lot of their traffic from organic search, as well as those hoping to win more search traffic from on-the-go shoppers. Google has been especially active in making mobile search more effective and easy to use. Directing users to content they will be able to interact with fully ensures mobile users enjoy an optimized experience with minimal interruptions related to a lack or mobile integration. Plus, giving this content a special highlight on SERPs increases the chances it will be clicked. According to Meunier, the rollout has gone unannounced from Google and many mobile searchers have yet to see the feature. However, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Meunier that the company is testing this, along with others features to its mobile SERPs aimed at making the smartphone experience as enjoyable as possible. Currently, it is unknown whether or not these new icons will impact mobile SEO in anyway. Other changes to mobile search Google has made in recent weeks include a Handwrite feature that allows users of the latest Android and iOS iterations to use their fingers to trace letters onto the mobile search homepage to find results quickly. Moreover, Brafton highlighted comments from Google’s Pierre Farr early this summer that predated many of the mobile updates from Google and offered the company’s first official tips on mobile SEO. Farr said that web marketers should ensure that their sites are fully accessible to smartphone and tablet users. Continue reading
Half of Americans access search and email on mobile devices over the traditional web
A report from Prosper Mobile Insights found that smartphone owners are turning to their handsets to conduct an increasing amount of searches and email interactions. Many of these users prefer the devices since they can find information quickly and read emails on the go. More than 51 percent of smartphone owners said they read emails more often on their handsets than they do on the desktop web. Similarly, 45.3 percent of respondents said they access search most frequently on smartphones. Failing to provide mobile site visitors and on-the-go subscribers with capability can result in lost traffic or unsubscription from email campaigns. Social media marketing efforts can help companies stand out to mobile users, as 42.3 percent of respondents said they access Facebook more often on their smartphones than desktops or laptops. The same was true for 14.8 percent of Twitter users and 6.9 percent of Pinterest users. These figures may actually be low as Brafton has reported other data shows 60 percent of Twitter users routinely share and interact with content on the microblogging site from mobile devices. In fact, other studies suggest mobile devices is on its way to becoming the primary entry to social, email, search and other web channels. Brafton recently highlighted a report from Pew that found mobile is the a preferred web access point for many Americans due to the convenience of smartphones. Sixty-eight percent of smartphone owners said they access the mobile web every day, and their usage totals are growing substantially. Continue reading
Google rolls out App Analytics for mobile marketers, continues recent focus on smartphones, tablets
On Friday, Google announced the release of Mobile App Analytics, which the company developed to help marketers track the success of their apps in terms of driving engagement, conversion and other areas that inform marketing success. According to a release on the company’s Google Analytics blog, Mobile App Analytics will help marketers measure the general popularity of their app. Acquisition and user totals will help companies keep track of their apps and fine-tune them to ensure the growth they’re looking for. Other features include engagement data to measure the frequency with which users keep the apps on their devices, as well performance metrics to avoid excessive crashes and other issues. Additionally, marketers and app developers can monitor conversion data to assess the general success of their apps. Recently, a series of Google announcements have centered on the company’s efforts in mobile, and marketers should take note Continue reading
Mobile search major focus at Google I/O
At the first day of Google I/O, the company detailed a series of new search features aimed at making life easier for users of Android-powered smartphones. The additions should help make the company’s mobile search product become as seamless as its desktop search, which might help marketers reach on-the-go search audiences more effectively. Given a recent report from BIA/Kelsey cited by Brafton, which found that more than 30 billion mobile search queries will take place in 2012, developing a strategy to target smartphone and tablet owners now may help a company in the long term. Moreover, mobile is set to surpass desktop search by 2015, according to the study. Among Google’s adjustments is Google Now, an entirely contextual search structure that will help Android users keep track of their days more efficiently and find search results based on customized factors, such as time of day, their calendar appointments and physical location, that change frequently. The tool presents results far different from the traditional SERPs, which can be difficult to navigate on most Android-powered handsets. The new SERPs, or information cards as they’ve been called, are specific to each user, but searchers can easily see the traditional Android SERP layout with a single swipe. While the move means that mobile SEO capability may be unlikely to impact users seeking local information, since they won’t initially see usual SERPs, general searches on the web will still be affected by search campaigns. As such, leveraging a content marketing strategy that focuses on mobile SEO best practices can help businesses rank well. Google’s Pierre Farr recently highlighted the company’s stance on mobile SEO, urging marketers to create a single domain to serve all traffic regardless of the visitors’ device, Brafton reported. The growth in capability of both smartphones and tablets, paired with increased reliance demonstrated by a Pew poll that more than half of Americans access the web through a mobile phone, cements mobile as a critical component of web marketing campaigns moving forward. More than half of all smartphone users currently own devices running Google’s mobile OS, so the move will have a major impact on the search habits of a substantial number of Americans. According to Google, these changes will come when Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, is released later this year. Currently, the iteration is set for release in mid-July, but users will have to wait until the manufacturers of their handsets make it available. According to Google, these changes will come when Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, is released later this year. Currently, the iteration is set for release in mid-July, but users will have to wait until the manufacturers of their handsets make it available. Other additions that Google believes will help its smartphone customers include an improved voice assistant that can be used for web search, as well as regular navigation through their smartphones and other functions. Much like Apple’s Siri, Google’s voice assistant presents data on its own customized pages, so data is organized in a more efficient manner. With its focus on a more contextual mobile experience growing, ensuring users find only the information they’re seeking will be the ultimate test. Jelly Bean’s pending release is also important given the announcement of the Nexus 7, a new tablet from Google and Asus. Highlighting the release of the device, Brafton recently cited data from an AYTM Market Research report that found consumers and companies interested in deploying tablets are looking for more options than Apple’s iPad. While the current leader of the industry is highly capable and satisfies most users, Android’s overall popularity has led some to consider releases running the mobile operating system. Other highlights from Google I/O include new features for Google+, which Brafton recently detailed. Social media marketing campaigns that don’t currently include Google’s year-old social network may want to make the move in light of the company’s push to improve the platform’s capability. Among the additions was a long-awaited Android app for tablets, with the iPad equivalent coming soon. Continue reading
