It’s funny how something like a flu strain can cause such a ruckus in search.

Google Search

Google Insights for search gives some really helpful data – including the recent trends in the “flu” category. Below the graph, you’ll find “rising searches”, which is great for brainstorming hot keywords for copy or blogging.

Twitter

Twitter search gives real time hot topics – whether it’s an epidemic or hashtag glorification.

Facebook

Facebook groups and fan clubs are the perfect spot to find out what’s hot now.

YouTube

You don’t have to go searching far for that latest videos and newscasts on the swine flu from YouTube.

iPhone

Even iPhone apps are getting a new addition via IntuApps.

Nicki Hicks
The bacon phenomenon has finally caught up with us

Mobile searches are becoming the norm, not the exception.  Optimizing for mobile as well as computer browsers is becoming a necessity, not a choice.  So what can you do to increase your mobile visibility?

1. Install Google Webmaster Tools. They’ll be able to tell you right off the bat whether or not your site can be accessed via smart phones.



2. Optimize for Local Search. Now that GPS is replacing the need to have physical map books, and most of us can no longer function without it (myself included), it’s crucial to be found.



3. Have easy-to-access contact information. Always include your contact information both on your site (in the footer is the cleanest place) and in your meta-description so that mobile searchers can click to either email or call you directly from the SERP!



4. Upload your videos to YouTube. Sometimes, smart phones have trouble indexing and loading large sites that don’t already have a specially equipped smart phone counterpart. By uploading a YouTube video, you guarantee that your site can be accessed via mobile devices; plus be found on YouTube!



5. Create an App. Apps are expensive to develop.  However, they get your name out there the second they’re created!

Nicki Hicks
I’m not craving pizza or anything

The most recent edition of the Google Search App has a number of cool new changes, including automatically launching other Google apps.  But the coolest addition, by far, is voice search.  Here’s the official video on it:

The voice recognition is surprisingly accurate and much simpler than typing your search queries…go check it out!

Nicki Hicks
Vocal Searcher

So begins my long list of hybrid blogposts – notes from the SMX East Conference in New York City.

Moderator: Greg Sterling, Founding Principal, Sterling Market Intelligence

Speaker: Cindy Krum, Director of New Media Strategy, Blue Moon Works, Inc.

• Searchers make an average of 9 mobile searches per day.
• iPhones have 5% of the mobile phone market, and 75% of all mobile searches.
• Mobile is important (mass mobile convergence, most personal marketing medium ever, more interactive marketing possibilities, mobile device on you at all times)
• Mobile is different (mobile bots, mobile algorithms, smaller screen, simplified rendering, more sophisticated searchers, have immediate intent)
• .mobi is BAD (splits traffic, links, index size; doesn’t benefit from history, risks duplicate content, confusing for users)
• Direct .mobi to real site; it’s no longer necessary to have a .mobi address
• External stylesheets/CSS creates separate design/copy for real site and mobile site
• Optimizing for phones, options: do nothing, create tiny pages for tiny screens, mobile/traditional hybrid pages

Speaker: Greg Markel, Founder and President, Infuse Creative

• iPhone Apps are important – creating one can increase revenue
• Another reason for “marketing message” in meta-tags: click for iPhone users to call immediately
• Greg’s prediction: in the future, there’s going to be a lack of keyword optimization, and instead location specific and device specific
• TRY APP: Urbanspoon; searching in Google causes the iTunes store to open w/ app → get google to index apps!!
• Set up YouTube channel → automatically makes site iPhone friendly by video default in interim before making site completely iPhone friendly

Speaker: Alex Muller, CEO, Slifter

• Slifter – local shopper app
• Create an iPhone app – what can you create for an entire app where you can actually HELP users??
• Loopt app – social network to find friends in the area → drive sales/advertising to specific location

Q & A

• New Nokia – going to run flash w/ “better” 3G
• Better browsers for mobile devices are coming
• SMS marketing converts better than any other mobile marketing – gather phone numbers w/ email addresses!
• Apps that go across all platforms – forward thinking
• Marketing apps: cannot marketing directly for iTunes URL, so use paid search for app description

NOTE: These notes are the major points of the presentations, and do not include every point the presenter made.

Shortly after I purchased my iPhone, I realized how much easier it was to access those websites that have a specific site for the iPhone (and smartphones, in general, for that matter).  Websites I use all the time and do not have an app are especially helpful – such as my bank’s site and ping.fm (a microblogging service that “pings” what I write to several social media sites).

Here’s what Ping.fm looks like in my Firefox web browser:

Ping’s iPhone version is a much simpler version, and therefore much easier to upload:

Not only will special iPhone websites upload more quickly, but you can actually increase your search engine visibility by creating one.  I just read an article by Denver SEO Guy Knox about SEO for the iPhone.  This gentleman from Denver gives a step-by-step plan to creating your very own iPhone site using WordPress.

With the direction web users and smartphones are headed, it’s silly NOT to think about SEO for iPhones.  I’m excited to learn more about Search and the iPhone at SMX East next week!

Nicki Hicks
I love my iPhone