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Search Marketing Goes Mobile: What Marketers Need To Know

By Special Guest
Teresa Vogelpohl, Marketing at R2integrated
July 06, 2015

Google searches take place more on mobile devices than on desktops in 10 countries including the U.S. and Japan. Though Google declined to disclose the names of the other eight countries, or discuss the ratio of mobile to desktop users worldwide, the highly anticipated announcement confirms a major shift in consumer’s search behaviors.

The news comes as no shock, as it was predicted with the surge of mobile devices and app activity that mobile devices would one day become the primary source of information. However, the biggest takeaway from this announcement is what Google is calling “micro moments”

What are Micro-Moments?

Waiting for your coffee? Waiting for a friend who’s running a few minutes late? How about just sitting around the house? You know these moments. It’s when you reach for your phone.

These are the opportunities for brands to create micro-moments. Many individual looks to their mobile devices to provide activity. In many cases, these activities involve mobile search. To capture these “micro-moments” when users turn to their mobile phones for information, marketers can pursue real-time offers, flash sales, in-app purchases, and location marketing to improve search results. This type of searching pattern is something we all do on a daily basis. With our mobile devices, information is available in an instant. This instantaneous gratification in micro-moments is what marketers need to focus on.

What Does Mobile Search Mean for Marketers?

The digital marketing field is expanding...again. The average mobile user picks up their phone at least 1,500 times a week. If your audience searches for your company online, then this announcement affects your digital marketing strategy. And let’s be honest, if your mobile presence isn’t a major part of your marketing

Mobile search offers a more targeted approach to reaching your market. Through micro-moments, individual searches can identify who is searching, what is being searched, and when search is occurring. This information allows marketers to tune in to new opportunities to reach their audience. By responding to the evolution of user search engine habits, marketers can reach customers whenever they search on their mobile device.

Google has become synonymous with the word search. How often do we say “just Google it” instead of “just search for it”? Search matters. When looking for information, a company, or a product, 48 percent of users start on a search engine.

As a result, Google is responding to the challenge of increased mobile interactions in many ways. New mobile-friendly interface formats give users more reasons to tap screens than AdWords. Upcoming dynamic search ads will assist advertisers with higher visibility and more audience-targeting capabilities. Most importantly, Google tweaked their mobile-friendly search algorithm to favor mobile-optimized sites. The message has been received loud and clear. If you are not mobile-optimized, then you will be left behind.

A Look at Upcoming Search Enhancements

Dynamic visual search ads are being added to Google this year, meaning marketers will be able to add visual representation when users search for their company, products, or services.

Starting with the automotive, hotel, and insurance industries, these visual ads will appear at the top of Google search when users search for these brands. What this does for the marketer is give the audience a sensory and perceptual experience all before they click on your website. Think of this as mobile packaging. Via the visual ad, users will be able to note important information such as price and local dealership information (for the automotive industry). This information will connect them with a local dealer and begin the car-buying process.

While Google continues to enhance mobile search features, marketers must realize that this is just the start. As other emerging devices including smart TV, smart watches, and smart wristbands gain more consumer usage, organizations should prepare their marketing strategy to include ways to expand their search visibility across all devices. An optimized search strategy should include a streamlined visual approach across devices. This approach is personal, sensory, and connects the customer with the product immediately.

With Google’s announcement comes what we’ve all been waiting for and working toward; a more optimized mobile marketing world. Now that more users are using their mobile devices to engage businesses, marketers can take Google’s enhanced search features and build a more efficient and optimized site for their audience to engage with.

About the Author:Teresa Vogelpohl is on the internal marketing team at r2i, a national marketing agency that aligns brand, demand and technology. She focuses on the intersection of content and demand generation and contributes to r2i’s event planning and customer experience programs. 




Edited by Maurice Nagle
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