Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled mobile phones: We all know that Google and Bing Search began including location based data from a stationary PC’s IP address to further refine local search queries. Although web enabled mobile devices are assigned IP addresses, the IP address does not do much for making local search results more relevant. Enter GPS and GPS-like enabled mobile devices.
Many leading web enabled mobile devices now have GPS embedded search engines and some web sites, and many “Apps”, are leveraging this to make results even more relevant. To take advantage of this trend, ensure that your site is submitted to applicable and credible directories and have an address, and even map with directions, in your site itself. It will make it easier for the search engines to “map” your site and business. Brick and mortar retail stores, restaurants, and local service industry company’s will benefit most from GPS location based mobile searches.
The following video illustrates the capabilities of GPS enabled devices. It might even give you some ideas for your own site or product.
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While mobile search has come a long way in a short time, there are still some hurdles that need to be addressed before it becomes the mainstream default standard. Here are 4 that jump out at me immediately:
Handset Variations: A variety of phones render your page with varying speed and performance when accessed through a mobile browser. Screen size, processing power, orientation and network speed will impact performance drastically.
Browser Variations: The variety of mobile browsers itself is a challenge, as they render web sites differently. The top browsers include Safari, Internet Explorer Mobile, Opera Mobile and Android amongst others.
Interactive Media Streaming: Most mobile browsers today do not support Flash or Silverlight, requiring separate applications or methods for accessing streaming media.
Silverlight for Mobile Site: Silverlight mobile is in development but currently not available. For now, it is best to ensure your core web properties are not heavily Silverlight dependant.
Flash Lite 3: Flash Lite 3 is Adobe’s mobile and internet connected TV solution which has recently been announced, but adoption and availability is low with few working demos on Windows Mobile 6.5 and Opera Mobile 9.5. Adoption is sure to increase but for now, it is safer to make your web pages not heavily Flash dependent.
Flash on iPhone or iPod Touch: Currently Flash content is only available via the YouTube specific app. An iPhone specific Flash implementation made for Safari is in the works, but for now it is best to not be Flash dependent.
Apps: Although web dependant software for mobile phones has been around for years, Apps as we know them today have recently taken off courtesy of the Apple App Store. Apps are increasingly appearing as a way to “browse” specific websites – bypassing the limitations and challenges with the browser. More to come on Apps soon.
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We’ve seen it in many industries for years, White Labeling, or Private Labeling, of goods and services in order to offer something that is not easily manufactured or produced without significant costs. For instance, auto manufacturers will design cars that you will see produced under multiple alternative brands, each one with its own spin on the original (usually upgraded or downgraded for different market segments). So what does this mean to an agency? Let’s discuss five reasons an agency should be considering white labeling services to augment or enhance its service offering, especially in today’s environment.
Focus on Customer Relationships – One of the highest priorities, if not the highest, of an agency is to cultivate the client relationship. Without it the relationship falls apart. Nothing takes more time away from the client than an agency staff mired in production, or figuring out how to do something new. They forget to listen, interact, and spend time with the client. The next thing out of the client’s mouth is “We’re switching agencies.”
Productivity without Increasing Overhead – Efficiency is a huge focus for an agency. Produce more with less and increase profits, go over on hours or realize poor productivity and profits disappear. White labeling services will shift the burden to the company providing the white label service and allow the agency to accurately and easily measure ROI.
Diversificationof Products and Services – Let’s face it, outside of brand stewardship (creative and strategy), an agency can’t, and shouldn’t, do everything in-house. From video and webdev production, email marketing to search marketing, a white label solution can remove the cost of entry barrier to adding crucial services your clients need and expect.
Fixing Costs to Ensure Profitability – In an agency world there is always a battle to manage cost overruns, balance resources, and increase profitability. White labeling a service offering can keep the agency in control of brand integrity while fixing costs with each project or campaign. Result – increased and predictable cash flow.
Scalable Resources means Bigger Opportunities – The ability to respond to larger opportunities is often limited by an agency’s own internal resources. Using a white label service offering creates a quickly scalable, on-demand team making it feasible to expand and contract as the work flows.
An agency’s primary focus is to create value for clients by connecting people to brands. What an agency doesn’t want to do is get so mired in the production details that they lose the ability to achieve this mission. This doesn’t mean that an agency shouldn’t work hard on internal efficiencies, but it does mean that they need to be smart about how they get the work done. This type of out-of-the-box strategy builds longevity through unpredictable times.
This blog post was written by Jason Nuss and originally printed in Media Inc. magazine’s Issue Two 2009.
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With so many mobile devices in play, can you afford to lose out on traffic to your site because it’s not optimized for mobile search and browsing? Here are 6 website development tactics that you should consider for an optimal mobile user experience:
1. There are three main site strategies/architectures to consider:
Develop a mobile only version of your page (have browser auto-detect to redirect mobile browsers to mobile version of the page). Examples: http://mobile.espn.com, http://mobile.msn.com.
Make your standard site both a traditional and a mobile browser/device safe – requires lots of planning.
Cross your fingers and hope that whatever you created is mobile safe.
2. Follow and turn up the heat on all standard SEO tactics and methodologies:
Use external Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to increase rendering speed and consistency.
Use XHTML – stiffer accessibility standards will make sure that visitors will view your site correctly regardless of which browser or device they have.
3. Eliminate dynamic web content such as scripts, frames, flash, pop ups, mouse-overs, etc…
4. Add the most appropriate keywords. Mobile sites are restricted in the amount of data they can show, not just by screen size and format, but by the largely diminished attention spans of the users. As such the data has to be to the point and entirely keyword loaded.
5. Use MetaTXT which is a way of exposing and making discoverable content (for example multimedia) within a site. It provides multiple mobile web entry points for browsers. In short, MetaTXT helps the search engine return the most relevant site for the consumer device.
6. Test your web page on a variety of devices and browsers BUT be clear that the Apple iPhone is by far today’s mobile browsing smartphone standard. At minimum ensure that the browsing experience is positive on the iPhone’s Safari browser.
