Google, Yahoo and Microsoft make local search mobile-ready

November 6, 2007

For Google, Yahoo and Microsoft going mobile means going local

Mobile phone users want it two ways: fast and local. But with immediacy comes the task for marketers to get the right message to the right user at the right time.
 
Executives from Google, Microsoft and Yahoo agreed during a presentation on tactical marketing at ad:tech New York that for search marketers going mobile means going local. 

“Marketers must keep campaigns short and sweet and recognize that they can’t just take their national campaign and make it local,” said Erynn Peterson, senior manager of advertising platform evangelism at Microsoft.

One factor that is causing search companies to revise their standard Internet practices for the mobile channel is that, unlike on the PC, users do not like to search or browse for results on their mobile device, said Michael Fisher, mobile strategy partner development manager for Google.
 
“Mobile phone usage is a case of extremes – people either have too much time or no time,” said Michael Bayle, head of global monetization for Yahoo Inc. Connected Life. “They’re saying, ‘Keep me entertained or answer me already.’”
 
But to get the right information to a user means marketers can’t make assumptions. They also have to understand the user’s intentions, Mr. Bayle said.

Focused on delivering the right content to the right user, Yahoo’s OneSearch mobile technology allows users to interact with results by providing ratings. This feedback is then integrated into a system that determines which results will be shown in the future.
 
Not to be left out, search titan Google is also entering the mobile conversation.
 
Founded on three areas of service – search, ads and apps – Google recently added platform to its offerings with the launch of Android. This software will allow any developer to create mobile applications for the Android platform, accelerating the Google brand on the mobile channel.
 
“The first thing we think of when it comes to mobile is make it easy for customers to tell us what they want,” Google’s Mr. Fisher said.

Google’s mobile offerings are an extension of its existing services. Google Mobile includes all the same tools that are on the desktop, including local search, maps and maps with traffic.

Google Mobile also offers a feature called “satellite mode,” which is a downloadable mobile application that operates much like Google World, allowing users to view real-time traffic patterns.

The company is also developing a new search capability for mobile that is referred to as Magma among Google employees.

“We focus on creating mobile products that pass the test of daily use,” Mr. Fisher said.

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