inter:digital strategies

It’s becoming impossible to ignore the importance of mobile browsing devices in building a web marketing strategy. Coupled with preparing your website for mobile access, it’s important to be aware of the major mobile search services available and what they can do for you.

What’s the difference between these mobile services? What special services do they offer; what limitations do they have? Here are brief reviews of the 8 most major services currently in the market (in no particular order):

1. Google Mobile

   Well, of course Google has an entry in the mobile search market. Google’s mobile search rewrites your page in order to, ideally, best display it on your device. Of course, this system has a few flaws: rewriting the XHTML doesn’t necessarily result in a usable site. On at least one example, the page actually failed to render at all…

   What else does Google currently provide?

   • XHTML Mobile Search or WML Mobile Search (Restricted index)
   • Mobile Google Maps
   • Mobile Google News
   • Gmail for Mobile (No separate URL)
   • Local Search
   • Google SMS

   Google has the major advantage that they have dozens of services which they can convert into mobile-friendly formats.

2. 4Info Mobile Search

   4Info is a mobile specific search engine. Of course, their search is usable from their website, but it’s not a significant target market. A much more limited search index than Google’s, searches are focused on information immediacy rather than the entire web: default searches are likely to turn up stock information, news headlines, sports scores, yellow pages information, or other similarly immediate need information.

   This seems on first blush like an advantage: but not necessarily. If you’re searching for information not available in their index, you simply get irrelevant information (based on word similarity.) Services from the major search engines are designed to return the types of data that 4Info returns, but also have the possibility of returning other websites. Still, 4Info’s limited scope helps ensure that a query will only return certain types of data. And a full web search is possible by visiting their main site, as well.

   Other services from 4Info:

   • SMS text messaging information: text messages addressed to 44636 (4INFO).
   • Text alerts: define events which should automatically trigger SMS messages. Sports scores, stock quotes, weather - sent to your phone based on specific criteria you’ve set.
   • 4INFO Mobile application: provides access to channeled content and saved searches.
3. Ask Mobile

   Ask uses a service called Skweezer to process web pages searched on their mobile site. Unfortunately, at the time I’m writing this Skweezer seems unable to "skweeze" anything. The service provides searches through Ask.com, Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Looksmart, compressing and reformatting their pages for optimal display in handheld devices. So, a service not dissimilar to Google’s compression methods: except with the added benefit that you can go to Skweezer.net and set your own preferences. (And the detriment that it’s not apparently working for me…)

   Regardless, Ask has a nice straightforward mobile interface offering a number of services:

   • Driving or Walking directions
   • Image search
   • Business Listings
   • Mapping Service
   • Weather
   • Bloglines blog search
   • Area codes (wondering where that phone call came from?)
   • Currency Conversion
   • Horoscope
   • Time zones
4. Yahoo! Mobile

   Yahoo!’s mobile search directs you to Local, Image, or Web search by default - reasonable offerings. SMS searches are also available, providing much the same kind of data available from other SMS serivces.

   Yahoo! also provides mobile web services including Yahoo! Mail, Messenger, games, and a wide variety of services from their collection of mainstream services. The specific services available, however, vary widely depending on your specific phone: somewhat of a disadvantage.

   Oh…and the information site for Yahoo!’s mobile web offerings is really annoying. Left me cold.

5. MSN (Live) Mobile

   Live Mobile brings us back to the nice and simple interface. Unusual for Microsoft, but welcome. The search provides access to web search, local, mapping, news, and spaces search.

   Additional services include:

   • Windows Live Messenger for mobile (seems pointless to me…)
   • Customized home pages
   • Email access
   • RSS content at Live.com

   Live Mobile wins the award for most confusing services listing…

6. AOL Mobile

   AOL offers Web search, Local search, Shopping, and "Surf the Web" as their search options. Trying out the Surf the Web option (whatever it’s supposed to do) resulted in an internal server error for me, so that’ll remain a mystery.

   In addition to the basic search options which are pretty commonly available, AOL provides:

   • AOL and AIM Mail
   • CityGuide (allows you to set your location and find a variety of services in that area.)
   • MovieFone
   • AOL Feed Reader
   • MapQuest
   • AOL Pictures
   • News/Weather/Sports
   • Entertainment

   Same ideas as everybody else, for the most part - although the incorporation of MovieFone seems like a nice touch.

7. Nokia Mobile Search

   Nokia, of course, is a mobile phone company rather than a search company. As such, their service offerings are a little different from the others. Nokia provides a downloadable application (only for Nokia phones, of course) which provides a search interface for users. Searches are provided by a variety of service providers, depending on your location: in the United States, it’s either Windows Live or Yahoo! - in Canada, you’ll also get searches from Yellowpages.ca.

   Nokia’s search software gives you the choice of Web, Local, or Image search to begin your search process. In local search, you can have the immediate choice to call a found service immediately, add their number to your contacts list, or map the location - a handy way of taking advantage of their service integration. In addition, the local search automatically detects your location, providing local results wherever you happen to be.

8. Technorati Mobile

   Well, Technorati Mobile search doesn’t really have any extra features: Technorati searches blogs, and that’s exactly what their mobile search does. If all you want is to search Technorati’s blog index, come here.

   Unfortunately, Technorati Mobile doesn’t give you the ability to log in to your Technorati account, view your favorites, or any of the other possible benefits you might get from it.

So that’s mobile search in a nutshell. Lots of services, lots of common features, and the odd custom feature. For myself, interface makes a big difference: and the winners (to me) for interface were Ask.com and AOL. (I can’t believe I’m favoring AOL…). Why are these interfaces preferable to me? They’re providing basic lists of their services in very straightforward list form. They don’t segregate their services into different web addresses, inaccessible from each other.

Google was pretty good, as well - but still not quite appealing. 4Info incorporates all of their search tools into a single search box - except for web search, which is located at a different web address, with no link. Live Mobile tries to make you download a .dll file when you visit it…not very appealing.

Rand McCarley, of 14th Colony Scout, lists his 13 reasons web sites fail, following up on Todd Malicoat’s You Wear a Suit to Work, but let Your Nephew Design Your Website?. Both posts are getting at the same important point: professionalism is a critical part of web site development.

Your website is no less a reflection of your business than your physical location is or than your are yourself in a business meeting, and the design and detail of your site should be given just as much thought as any other aspect of setting up your business.

Although there are certainly vast differences in the visual impact of a site which can be appropriate, there are certain common factors which all sites should have in common. Rand lists a great number of these issues: but they all come down to one thing - the essential mistake a business can make with their website is not thinking about their customers throughout the development process.

Taking a few of Rand’s points for examples:

3. Quitter’s choice. These site owners started and got frustrated that things weren’t happening fast enough or they got too busy or [insert a whole list of excuses] and quit.

7. Stale abandonment. The site is out of date and out of touch. Some stuff may not work anymore causing errors. This is akin to having a busted window but the breeze you feel is the viewers rushing out.

13. Glad that’s over. Thinking the site is launched and won’t need tracking, adjustments or follow-up. Every site is a work in progress no matter how complete it is for the moment.

Anybody making these mistakes? The common theme: not thinking about the customer. Your website is about you: but it’s not FOR you. Always approach your site as if you were a customer. Try and put yourself in their shoes: if you knew nothing about your company except what’s on the website - what would you do?

by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin

This book, an excellent guide for the self-motivated search engine optimizer, won me over on page 54. Not that I wasn’t already convinced that Jennifer and Gradiva had a lot to say: but page 54 contained the single statement which demonstrated a perfect understanding of what it takes to understand the search marketing industry.

I wonder why that’s happening.

As they say, this mantra will keep you working through all the intellectual challenges of SEO. It demonstrates that critical characteristic of the successful search marketer: curiousity. They make a concentrated point of telling their reader that their own curiousity, coupled with a bit of experimentation and a strong willingness to learn, will keep their site moving continuously forward.

SEO: An Hour A Day is a great book. It’s honest in recognizing where it can’t help you, by differentiating clearly between "eternal truths" (things you can always count on - like change) and "ephemeral truths" - those facets of search marketing which are constantly in fluctuation.

The authors focus consistently on your business needs. They’re not trying to tell you that you need to do something for the good of the world - they’re telling you that you need to do something to accomplish your specific business goal. That practical and realistic emphasis on business oriented needs makes the book a great reference.

Of course, SEO isn’t just a matter of fixing your site and finding some marketing - and the authors are obviously aware of this. They’ve included chapters on convincing your company - everybody from the graphic designers and IT guys to the 5-martini lunch executives gets their mention. Even better, for the time-pressed small business owner, you’ve got an entire chapter on slacking off. What could be better than knowing exactly what you can go ahead and leave until later?

The book isn’t necessarily going to move somebody into the top ranks of search marketing, of course. No single text is capable of providing the breadth of experience and knowledge contained in 10 years of practical use. But if you want to understand what your professional consultant is doing, or use this book as a kicking off point to learn how to promote your own sites, you’ll have made a great choice.
Personally, I think I’m likely to recommend this book be on the bookshelves of my own clients - they may not ever read it, but one can always hope!