Download pdf - SEO in the Age of Apps | Search Engine Strategies NYC 2013

New York | March 25–28

SEO in the Age of Apps Mobile search visibility: off-‐the-‐desktop

Rachel Pasqua

#SESNY

New York| March 25–28, 2013 | #SESNY

Search is the #1 mobile browser acFvity Web-‐based search is a fundamental acFvity and discovery channel for smartphone consumers.

Search 47.7%

Social networking

News

34.2%

33.0%

Entertainment News 25.8%

18.7% Photo/video sharing service

17.5% Movie informaFon

Stock/Financial news 17.2%

Bank accounts 17.0%

Maps

Restaurant informaFon Classifieds

Online retail

Business directories

Food/Cooking Fps

16.9%

15.9%

15.1%

14.0%

12.2%

11.3%

US Smartphone Browser AcFviFes

comScore MobiLens, April 2012


But overall, mobile users prefer apps App interfaces tend to be cleaner, faster, more user-‐centric, more navigable than mobile web interfaces—so much so that app design techniques are beginning to bleed over to the mobile web.

85% of people surveyed by Compuware CorporaJon in

March 2013 said they prefer mobile apps over

mobile sites, according to a consumer survey of 3,500.

More convenient

Faster

Easier to browse

Be_er UX

Easier to check account

Easier to shop

55%

48%

40%

28%

27%

26%

3%

11%

1%


The most popular mobile apps are search-‐centric

76%

66%

54%

54%

48%

46%

42%

41%

38%

32%

1. Facebook

2. Google Maps

3. Google Play

4. Google Search

5. Gmail

6. YouTube

7. Pandora

8. iTunes

9. Cooliris

10. Yahoo Messenger

Source: comScore Inc. , “2013 Mobile Future in Focus, February 25, 2013”

Top ten mobile apps among US smartphone users, December 2012 (% reach)


Why these trends ma_er

•  As users gravitate towards apps for search purposes, content result types diversify—it’s not just about the browser anymore.

•  Search desFnaFons diversify as well—most brands must focus on the major search engines plus a variety of niche search apps.

•  The old SEO rules sFll apply but, new SEO best prac;ces are evolving that will govern the app search ecosystem.


In order to succeed… …brands need to understand the new rules of the mobile search game, including:

•  The most relevant mobile search applicaFons on the market

•  Each app’s unique value proposiFon •  How to get indexed •  How to build rank and findability


Big Engine Mobile Search Apps


The Google Search App–web results

The stats •  EsFmated 95.8% of the world’s mobile search market.1 •  57% of the mobile ad revenue in the US.2 •  4 out of 5 most popular US apps belong to Google.3

GeUng found •  Sources results from the main Google index. •  A well-‐opFmized mobile site should result in good

Google mobile app visibility as well. •  Prominent links to Goggles, Voice, and Apps create

divergent pathways away from the browser. •  As use of app search increases, so will importance of

non-‐tradi;onal content channels.

| 1 StatCounter, 12.2012 | 2 eMarketer, 12.2012 | 3 comScore, 02.2013|r

Much like the desktop, Google sFll rules the roost. Yet most searches performed with the Google Mobile App lead to browser content.


Mobile SEO: basics for the browser Most big engine mobile apps source results from their web index—hence, applying mobile SEO best pracFces is essenFal to visibility in both web and apps.

Crawler Access •  Allow access for all crawlers to both desktop and mobile websites to fully understand page structure, importance, and consolidate signals.

Page Load Speed •  Ensure quick page load speeds, as mobile users are typically on slower connecFons.

User Experience •  Ensure visitors can find the informaFon they are looking for and interact with the website suitably.

Content OpJmizaJon •  OpFmize important page elements and content to idenFfied keywords.

Crawlability Obstacles •  Code the website free from Obstacles, such as Flash and excessive or obtrusive JavaScript.


The Google Search App: Apps results The Google Search App homepage routes users away from general, mobile web-‐based results with a strong prompt to other Google Apps.


Google Voice Likewise, the Google Search App offers a prominent link to voice search vs. browser results. As user uptake increases, SEOs may feel more pressure to opFmize for natural language queries vs. keywords.

*SFll not quite semaFc—Google Voice uFlizes speech-‐to-‐text and text-‐to-‐speech.

**Available in the Google Search App and Google Apps Browser App


Google Goggles The Google Search Apps also present a prominent prompt to engage in visual search via Google Goggles. As image recogniFon becomes more refined, users are bound to become more reliant on visual search via mobile camera.

*SEOs should pay specific a_enFon to image tagging with specific keywords and geo-‐spaFal informaFon. **Available in the Google Search App and as a separate Google Goggles App


The Google+ Local App

The stats •  Approx. 74% of local search volume is mobile.1 •  Mobile local search volume will outpace desktop by 2015.2

GeUng found •  Google Places is the thing of the past—many lisFngs

carried over to Google+ but many did not. •  Google+ Local App sources results from Google+ Local

web—opFmizaFon carries over. •  Business details—e.g. phone number, store hours,

payment opFons—and video are are especially relevant to mobile users.

•  As overall Google+ uptake increases, the Google+ Local app will become a significant local traffic source.

| 1 Chitika 10.2012 | 2 BIA/Kelsey 04.2012 |

Smartphone search is heavily oriented towards acFon-‐oriented, real-‐world acFvity—Google+ Local is a key discovery pathway.


The Google Maps

The stats •  94% of smartphone owners look for local info.1 •  90% take acFon as a result.2 •  59% visited a local business as a result of a mobile search.3

GeUng found •  Maps info is fed by Google+ Local lisFngs—strive for a

complete lisFng with special emphasis on hours, photos, videos, and other locally relevant content.

•  CitaFons from 3rd party apps like Yelp boost rank. •  Des;na;on search frequently starts—and almost

always ends—with the maps app. Visibility for brick and mortar businesses is indispensible.

| 1-3 Google and Ipsos OTX Media CT 05.2012 |

Google Maps is the acknowledged leader in the mobile maps and GPS space. For businesses with physical locaFons, it’s a vital mobile search channel.


Apple Maps

The stats •  While Android devices outnumber iOS in circulaFon and

shipment, iOS users conFnue to be the most avid consumers of mobile web and app data.

GeUng found •  Sources results from a proprietary Apple database—

core data provider is Localeze. •  If your lisFng isn’t appearing in Apple Maps, be sure to

create a free lisFng with Localeze. Note that Localeze also offers a premium opFon which speeds submission for $297 per year.

•  Reviews and addiFonal content syndicated from Yelp, hence Yelp opFmizaFon boosts Apple Maps visibility.

•  Apple is commiKed to improving the Maps experience– as quality gets beKer, user uptake will grow.

Despite a shaky start, Apple Maps is sFll naFve to iOS6 which accounts for over 60% of iOS, iPad, and iPod touch devices.


Siri

The stats •  67% of Siri users actually use the search funcFonality.1 •  The most acFve Siri users are 40-‐49, the least acFve 20-‐29.2 •  Men are more frequent users of Siri than Women.3

GeUng found •  Siri oren bypasses tradiFonal search results, skipping

right to social results like Yelp—ranking in Siri requires a_enFon to curaFng your presence in social spaces.

•  Siri totally disregards PPC—if your strategy up unFl now was heavily paid, you’ll need to relegate more resources to SEO.

•  Apple is commiKed to improving the Siri experience– as quality gets beKer, user uptake will grow.

Less of a search engine and more of a “mobile assistant”, Siri has been slow to catch on due to the challenges posed by speech recogniFon.

| 1-3 Besirious.com11.2012 |


YouTube

The stats •  Video accounted for 51% of all mobile traffic by the end of

2012.2 •  People watch one billion views a day on YouTube mobile.3 •  YouTube is available on 400 million devices.4

GeUng found •  Always include keywords in the video file name and

video headline. •  Adding a video script in the descripFon as well as

uploading a script for closed capFoning, will boost relevance for voice.

•  Smartphone and tablet users alike are ac;ve video consumers—YouTube presents a significant opportunity to create mobile search visibility.

YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world and one of the most mobile centric—25% of global YouTube views come from mobile devices1.

| 1 YouTube 03.2013 | 2 Cisco 02.2012 | 3-4 YouTube 03.2013 |


Bing

The stats •  According to app discovery portal XYO.net, Bing

downloads on iOS and Google devices number roughly 15 million.

GeUng found •  Like Google, Bing sources app results from the main

index—mobile opFmizaFon of your .com site will create a halo effect of visibility for the Bing app.

•  Despite a slow start in mobile, Bing’s foothold on Windows devices and the Kindle, earn it a certain amount of considera;on and effort from SEOs.

NaFve to all Windows Mobile devices as well as Blackberry, Nokia, and Kindle, Bing remains a smaller but sFll significant mobile search applicaFon.


Yahoo! and Yahoo! Axis Yahoo’s share of mobile search remains extremely small—without OEM relaFonships, it lacks the requisite on-‐device foothold so crucial for success.

*Since Bing powers Yahoo search, opFmizaFon for Bing should have a halo effect of the Yahoo apps.

**With Marissa Mayers new commitment to building Yahoo as a mobile services company, there’s a chance Yahoo may be a dark horse in the mobile search race.


Google Now Google Now is Google’s foray into creaFng an intelligent personal assistant. Now not only answers search queries but also makes recommendaFons and delegates acFons to web services.

Basically, it’s a search app that eliminates your need to search.


Niche and Social Mobile Search

Apps


Facebook

The stats •  192M Android, 147M iPhone, 48M iPad2 •  Facebook's mobile monthly acJve users grew 57

percent from early 2012 to 680 million in 20133 •  Over 50% of Facebook’s total traffic is now mobile4

GeUng found •  Having a well opFmized Facebook presence is essenFal

given this app’s importance but it’s also a boost to your visibility in other important mobile applicaFons.

•  Facebook is a results-‐feeder for many search engines—high visibility, carefully curated content and posi;ve endorsements will benefit visibility in big engine apps.

Facebook is the most popular mobile app in the US, used acFvely by 76% of smartphone owners1—it’s arguably as important as Google.

| 1 comScore, Inc. “2013 Mobile Future in Focus” 02.2013 | 2 TechCrunch 01.2013 | 3 Facebook 01.2013 | 4 Facebook 03.2012 |


Yelp

The stats •  Yelp's mobile applicaFon was used on 9.2 million

unique mobile devices on a monthly average basis during Q4 2012.2.

•  Approximately 40% of all searches on Yelp came from their mobile app.3

GeUng found •  Yelp licenses content from 3rd party data providers but

much of it comes from users and business owners. •  Much like Google+Local, locally oriented content such

as store hours, photos, and service offerings are key. •  RaFngs and reviews also figure heavily in rank •  Yelp is a key feeder of results for many big engine

search apps.

Yelp’s importance lies in the fact that so many other search apps rely on it to calculate relevance.

| 1-3 Yelp 01.2013 |


Foursquare

The stats •  25 million users, 1 million businesses, 10.4

million monthly users (various sources).

GeUng found •  Foursquare content is difficult for bots to crawl—SEO

relies on submi_ed XML sitemaps to enable search engine visibility.

•  True visibility within the app is conFngent on proximity, raFngs and reviews.

•  For all its popularity with the digera;, Foursquare has been slow to gain trac;on with the general populace.

Of all social networks, only Foursquare is primarily mobile and app-‐based. For brick and-‐mortar brands, it grows in importance as a search channel


Appsfire…and other app discovery apps A significant amount of mobile app discovery happens within mobile apps. Many crawl app stores to collect new lisFngs but most also allow for submission as well. Rank is generally calculated on a combinaFon of newness, user raFngs, and page views.

Hot App Finder

Appolicious AppGrooves Best Apps Market

Appsmart Share Apps Best App Finder

App for Execs

AppStart App Advice

Appshopper 148 Apps AppShaker Fluke Moms with Apps


VerFcal Search, Meta Search

Music Business DaFng Fun AR QR

Real Estate Deals Real Estate

Hotels Shopping Shopping Tickets

Wikipedia Travel Recipes CreaFve Reviews AutomoFve


Izik A clean, aestheFcally pleasing iPad search applicaFon, Izik presents presents a mixture of text and visual results. Izik sources results from Blekko.


Grokr *An intelligent search applicaFon that uses locaFon, Fme and preferences (both volunteered and implied) over Fme.

**iPhone only at present.

***Similar to Google Now in intent and purpose.


More informaFon: www.mobileanhouraday.com Buy online: h_p://amzn.to/Tx5jVg

"Nothing gets you closer to your consumer than mobile. And nothing gets to closer to mobile markeFng perfecFon than Mobile Marke;ng: An Hour a Day.” — Greg Stuart, CEO, Mobile MarkeFng AssociaFon and Co-‐Author of What SFcks "Elkin and Pasqua expertly detail the mobile landscape, tacFcs, and tools available to today's mobile marketer. This is a must-‐read." — Sara Holoubek, CEO, Luminary Labs "This book is filled with clear, well thought-‐out strategic guidance on all things mobile, with expert perspecFves to help customize the strategy on an individual business (and budget) level.” — Joy Liuzzo, President, Wave Collapse "This is now my go-‐to book for mobile. Not only does it have the brain trust going for it, but it also has the data to back it up.” — Rob Garner, author of Search and Social: The Defini;ve Guide to Real-‐Time Content Marke;ng


•  @rachelpasqua •  [email protected] •  www.facebook.com/rachelpasqua •  www.linkedin.com/in/rachelpasqua

Thank you!