How The Mobile Web Is Changing Search Engines

The mobile web is getting more attention as portable computing and mobile devices become more popular and more affordable. No longer are mobile websites considered just for consumption on cellular phones and smart phones. There is nothing new about Google leading the way in mobile search, but other search engines like Yahoo and Bing, along with mobile centric search engines such as Taptu are now vying for recognition in the mobile space.

In many ways this has been the result of newer portable devices being designed that are more functional and more capable to emulate the search-ability that web surfers have come to expect from years of using a PC or a laptop. The demand in the marketplace is certainly there, and end users will shape the future of the mobile web as more and more traffic is generated from mobile devices.

Currently, the mobile web still maintains the mobile operators as a pipeline, making search the gateway for many of the activities of the mobile consumer. There still are many fundamental differences between searches on the Internet versus the mobile phone. Mobile content is structured differently. It does not work in a similar manner to the highly unstructured and dynamic nature of the World Wide Web. Mobile content by nature has to be text-based. It can not rely on graphics, photos, and video to communicate ideas because of the slower speed of downloads and the unnecessary and sometimes wasteful use of bandwidth.

Even advertising on the mobile web is evolving to be mostly text-based as is evidenced with the growing number of text messages being used as a major component for mobile ad campaigns.

These new developments have also changed the way we look at virtual commerce on the web. New terms are being coined. We started with e-commerce, which evolved into m-commerce for "mobile commerce", and now people are using the term t-commerce with the proliferation of tablet computers. It's not just about Apple and the popular iPads either. Other devices like the Motorola Xoom are selling well, too. IDC analysts (International Data Corporation) are estimating that the number of tablets being used should reach 44 million by the end of 2011. Other industry insiders have determined that 50% of mobile web traffic for retailers will be from tablet devices.

Some say tablets will give other mobile devices a run for the money, but it's hard to imagine people giving up their cellphones, smart phones, and PDAs. Tablet users are expected to be buyers online. This is because the shopping experience on the mobile web is more predictable and more familiar, one reason being a larger screen that is more like a laptop or notebook. It could be that this will be a simpler buying process as well, with the experience being more tactile using a touch screen.

Another reason is that not all retailers and other traditional websites are equipped for mobile browsers to serve up mobile optimized web pages. You can bet that this will take some time to flush out, and there could eventually be a mobile web completely untethered to the familiar Web 2.0. One way to look at it is the like the migration from radio to television, but the two media formats still now coexist.

If you take a historical view, new technology almost always seems to overlap with older technology. Part of this is because of the cost of replacing infrastructure, and another reason is that some consumers refuse to let go of familiar technology. We still have fax machines, but there really is no good reason for that technology to still be all that viable. So the likely scenario is that more traditional computer devices will fade away slowly, and many different mobile devices will maintain a share of the mobile market for many years to come.

Brick and mortar stores are still around because people like the personal experience of shopping, and not all physical store sales can be replaced by e-commerce overnight. Nevertheless, as demographics change and a global population becomes more computer literate, it is hard to deny that the mobile web will continue to grow at a staggering rate.

Another way to look at this is that traditional search is still quite reactive, whereas mobile search at this point in time can be considered more of an impulse. Mobile web searchers are presently still looking for information like store location, hours of operation, coupon or sales alerts, and contact details like a telephone number, so they can call a business. The current mobile consumer is looking for information that can be served up quickly. This may always be a part of mobile marketing due to the nature of being on a mobile and wireless device.

At the same time, this is exciting stuff for both business owners (off-line and online) and consumers alike. Both sides of the commerce equation should take note of dramatic changes in the mobile web as they come online and evolve.

Want to know more about the mobile web and mobile website design? Mobile Web Directory Blog

E.M. Beck is an SEO and online marketer. He writes about a lot of different things online, but also enjoys dreaming up and testing new ways to use technology, including the new dot mobi resources for mobile and wireless marketing.

You can learn about his latest projects, the "Mobile Website Directory" and the "goMobi Mobile Website Builder" at MobileWebsiteDirectory.net