Interview with Aaron Wall on Mobile Search
As Vendors release more and more phones built with Web inside (iPhone 3G, Blackberry Storm, etc), Mobile search is becoming a bigger and bigger market. Just last week Yahoo! became the exclusive provider for AT&T phones (excluding the iPhone).
We asked Aaron Wall of SEO Book if he could answer some of our questions, and he graciously did so. Aaron runs SEO Book and is a world renowned SEO Expert and Blogger. In addition to running his own company and providing consulting services, he somehow finds the time to offer an SEO Training program and provide the world with Free SEO Tools. Thanks Aaron for sharing your time and knowledge!
Cell Phones.org: What defines mobile search? Is it via SMS, Safari on the iPhone, WAP? Does it matter?
Aaron: I think that while iPhones are a minority of the cell phone population they are associated with the majority of mobile search traffic http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/667f13de-da60-11dc-9bb9-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 [registration required]. Given that relationship it suggests that the iPhone interface is what many people like to use, and I would expect many other mobile interfaces to evolve to be more like the iPhone.
Cell Phones.org: Is there really any difference between Mobile and Regular Search?
Aaron :The biggest differences are:
- Screen real estate is scarce, so the top few listings will capture an even larger share of the overall search market.
- The search engine is aware of the location of the searcher.
- The audience is generally more tech savvy and less likely to click on ads unless they are exceptionally relevant to their needs.
- People are less likely to do deep research on a mobile phone than they would be to do so on a regular search engine.
Cell Phones.org: Do people search differently on Wireless devices?
Aaron: I think people are less likely to do deep research on a mobile phone than they would be to do so on a regular search engine…they are more interested in what is going on right here and now rather than doing deep research and making large commitments. They are less likely to enter long search queries and less likely to do many repeated searches because it is less convenient. People will be more likely to rely on defaults - like the common query completion / search suggestion tools offered by search engines like Google.
Cell Phones.org: Which industries are most affected by Mobile Search?
Aaron: Mobile phone searches will likely contain a large portion of local and entertainment related searches, while having fewer searchers for larger commitments that require deep research.
Cell Phones.org: How do you optimize a website for Mobile Search?
Aaron: The limited screen size means a lot of the clicks are going to go to advertisers, so you need to make sure your site is able to convert well enough to be able to afford to compete in that auction.
- Another key point for local search is awareness…if people search for your brand the search engine has to return your site or else they look irrelevant to the searcher.
- Ensuring you are listed in local directories and you have many high rated customer reviews will make it easier for Google to want to recommend your site.
- Generic brands that match keywords (San Francisco Pizza) might help bring in some business, but you really want to make sure that if your brand is generic that you find a way to spice it up such that people remember you and talk about your company.
- The last piece that is important is trying to make your site fit the devices as best you can.
- Make sure your business address and phone number are clearly available on your homepage. If you have many locations you should make a page for each location.
Cell Phones.org: On the Web, Google is the clear leader in Search. On Mobile, Yahoo! Has a lot of key partnerships – is there a dominant search provider on Mobile?
Aaron:
I think Google is the default search on the iPhone. And Google has a strong search brand and the open source Android operating system. I see Google eating marketshare at will unless the broadband & cell phone companies band together to boycott Google.
Cell Phones.org: Do you think the iPhone will change search and mobile search?
Aaron:Given it’s heavy search and web usage relative to their share of the mobile market I think it is a good model for other companies to follow.
Did you like this interview? Check out our other interviews with other Industry Leaders and leading Academics - read their thoughts on Cell Phones and the Wireless Industry.
