1. What Does the Future of Mobile
Web Search Hold for
Business Owners and
Advertisers?

2. What Does the Future of Mobile Web Search Hold for
Business Owners and Advertisers?
Smaller Screens Require Specialized Answers
While desktop search is dominated by one company, Google, mobile search is currently a “Wild West” with
plenty of undiscovered territory and a different set of user behaviors to be decoded. For advertisers and
publishers in this new mobile frontier, the question of traffic retention requires a different answer. The
search of the future - both in engines and ads - needs to be more anticipatory, better integrated; and must
deliver compelling, useful on-demand results for the user to remain on your page or app.
The current state of play
The Web search game has been decided, and the decision for most users is one of convenience. At the
beginning of the year, according to Search Engine Watch, Google accounted for 66.2 percent (up from 65.9
percent in December 2011) of all searches, with Bing and Yahoo well behind.
For Google, the war was won with distribution. As a recent study by comScore shows, browsers and default
engines narrowed the search gap. By winning the race to be the default browser engine, Google stormed
the search market before any competitors really had a chance to get going.
But user patterns are currently undergoing a massive sea change. At the moment 50 percent of Americans
own at least one mobile device that can access the Web. Over the next decade, 4 to 6 billion people will use
a tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device as their primary access point to the Internet.
Applying the lessons of the Web to the Phone
Aside from the long-term explosion of number of devices owned, search volume will be rapidly migrating to
mobile over the next five years. According to a recent BIA/Kelsey report, 30 percent of all searches could
include a location-based comment, thus making the GPS-enabled smartphone the clear “weapon of choice”
for most users moving forward.
The first phase of the online advertising world was viewed through the lens of the desktop. Since then,
access to the Web has been continually evolving as new devices emerge and change the way we access and
interact with the Web. In the very near future smartphones will have 3 to 4 times the number of desktop
users worldwide. The number of users who access the Web will multiply by the same fold.
Where two paths diverge
Of course, as the audience splits, the user expectations for Web and Mobile are vastly different. Mobile, in
its infancy, has traditionally reflected a complimentary experience to the desktop, but this is quickly
transforming to meet the shift in on demand, on-the-go user behavior. The sit back and browse
experience won’t cut it for users on the move; adaption of the Web on mobile will become highly infused
with location-based filters coupled with highly interactive and adaptive features, from “swipe and scroll”
interfaces, to the next evolution of voice-acted responses.
1 Vertical Search Works | www.verticalsearchworks.com | 212.967.9502

3. Developing ads for the new search reality
Like any emerging medium, there are flaws that can arise. Think about the evolution of TV ads. There is a
noticeable difference from the ads of the 1950’s to what we see today. The history of advertising on
traditional platforms tells us there are good and bad campaigns. For example, there have been TV
advertisements that have severely damaged a brand. If you apply that logic to the online advertising
evolution, perhaps it would have been better if the display world had embraced interactive banners at an
earlier age. But the reality is, like many things, the advertisements get more robust over time.
There have been a number of great recent campaigns in the marketplace. Two that especially stand out are
interactive video ads, such as the “Skittles Touch” ad: http://socialtimes.com/skittles-video-finger_b43759
and the White Collar iPad ad: http://www2.mediamind.com/creative_zone/WhiteCollar/index.html.
Tips for Marketing On Mobile:
So how can you best incorporate the lessons of those ads? The following five rules will help companies
navigate the new landscape of the mobile Web, to best position themselves to attract consumers that have
vastly different expectations than desktop users and traditional search applications:
 Location matters – use it & infuse it. Make sure you indicate your location on your website and
your entire digital outreach program. Be sure to include both local and regional information to
maximize your appeal.
 Create messages that respond to who, what, when, where. Clear and concise messaging makes
the information you present to your consumer “fool proof” by keeping it simple and to the point.
 Be descriptive and engaging. Don’t just tell consumers what your product is. Make sure you tell
them what your product can do for them, and outline the benefits.
 Showcase recommendations & customer reviews. Showcasing consumer feedback on your site
is not only a great way to build up your SEO profile, but it’s also a great way to gain trust from
consumers who are considering purchasing your product. If you have a feedback tool already
enabled don’t be afraid to showcase it. If not, it’s time to start exploring a feedback mechanism that
you can include on your site.
 Develop linked user paths through descriptions. Developing a better internal linking strategy
does double duty – it keeps users on your site longer and it can also help boost your SEO rankings -
thus making you more visible over time.
2 Vertical Search Works | www.verticalsearchworks.com | 212.967.9502

4. Targeting- the key to a good campaign
As new ways to reach consumers emerge through new technologies there is a lot that Madison Avenue must
grapple with and adapt to. Solely following the rules above and throwing all of your eggs into the online
basket will not quite be enough. The advertising industry still has a business that is worth approximately
$200 billion - spanning print, TV, magazines, radio, and outdoor media. Online display, meanwhile, is
currently only worth about $15 billion. Most organizations will simply follow the money, and so campaigns
for “old” media still take up the bulk of time spent in devising a marketing strategy.
However, as marketing dollars continue to shift to online and more effective ways to reach consumers
through online channels emerge, Madison Avenue will shift their focus accordingly. Throughout history
there has always been a group of unreasonable individuals that challenged where things are and where they
are going. For example: many people said the car wouldn’t replace the horse or that TV couldn’t have
advertising every ten minutes or that people wouldn’t need the ability to speak to each other on the go.
The pundits will continue to exercise their views regarding new products that lead to new experiences.
Hindsight tells us that pundits are often exactly the ones that get it wrong- but in the end, it’s not about
wrong or right. Success in the new search will be about marketers’ and ad technology providers’ ability to
continue to evolve. Like any new medium, things are not perfect when they first hit the market; they evolve
and mature over time.
A greater shift to online advertising requires more advanced capabilities from digital and mobile ads. An
elevated level of creative that embraces interactivity and adaptive design will emerge that will appeal to
consumer’s desires to access more information via their smart devices and the advertisements they
encounter.
Most mobile content is viewed now not only through the mobile browser, but also through apps. Free
content isn’t free- the price for users comes in the shape of ad-supported content. With publisher-specific
and user-customized news apps finding new traction, getting onto those apps’ ad rolls will be key for
advertisers as users shift from keyboard and mouse to touch and swipe.
Importantly, the ads presented in these apps must have relevance to the apps’ content, or the user will
become fed up with both the app developer AND the advertiser. And when the user is fed up, it leads to
the worst possible outcome for all involved- they delete the app.
Putting it all together
At present, the mobile search market is completely limitless. But rules are starting to round into shape. The
winners will be chosen from firms that can provide compelling, well-targeted content, target users who use
touch screens for the majority of their time on the Web, and those who understand how to mix their
campaigns across many different mediums.
3 Vertical Search Works | www.verticalsearchworks.com | 212.967.9502