The May 23, 2012 update of the Google Search App for iPhone introduced multiple new features that will both simplify the way users experience the app and expand the capabilities through a vibrant re-imagined image viewer. Everything about the new edition of the app was dedicated to create a smoother, sleeker and more efficient version of the app. The redesign allows for significantly faster search results, higher quality image search and an organized storage space for all Google apps.

The autocomplete feature instantly loads search results with every input of a new letter, making finding information on the go faster than ever before. Navigating between multiple web pages and the search results page is also much easier and more manageable with the slide-in tab aspect that can be swiped to cycle through the various tabs. This is good news to online marketing agencies as it will increase the amount of time spent on websites since the user will not have to leave the page to return to their search results.

The new interface and more brilliant displays may provide internet marketing companies with a new outlet in mobile marketing, now that the image search feature can be viewed full screen in high resolution, with specific details available about each image when they are tapped.

The new organization of Google’s services into one central location on the iPhone may allow mobile SEM services to become more expansive, covering all of Google’s various search options in a single intuitive source. All the new features of this update are certainly something to take advantage of.

Starting out as a simple application founded in March 2009, Foursquare has grown into a full fledged, social media marketing community boasting over 20 million users worldwide with over 2 billion check-ins, and millions more everyday. In light of the recent passing of “foursquare” day on April 16^th, Foursquare has proven to be a major player in the local search industry, rivaling the likes of Google and Yelp with its new built in search features. Users can interact with reviews, photos, menus of restaurants, etc. With over 750,000 businesses using the merchant platform, it is becoming easier than ever for it’s more than 35 million data based locations to connect with users in ways like never before. By offering coupons to nearby users or posting information about their establishment, restaurants, hotels, salons, can all create more foot traffic resulting in more customers.

Foursquare has recently come out with its Explore program that allows users to search for local venues on its website, similar to Google maps. Foursquare describes it as “adding an ‘interesting’ layer to the whole world”. Available on its mobile platform for some time now, Explore adds a whole new dimension to the local search industry for users on the Foursquare website. With the vast number of locations tagged within the system, this creates an extremely valuable tool with regards to internet marketing and reaching users through social media that can lead to creative ventures in the future.

Did you use Twitter on your phone this morning and notice anything different? A tweet from Twitter’s advertising blog made an announcement that they have begun testing Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts across all Android and iOS mobile social media devices. Word of the “internet marketing on the go” announcement came earlier last month and actually started today. Twitter is allowing brands to pass social media marketing to mobile users through the use of similar interests within their existing followers.

Twitter users are informed that as they scroll through their Twitter timelines, Promoted Tweets will flow in sporadically as you slide down through the feed. Facebook has also taken a similar route and started integrating ads & banners into the mobile Facebook app. However both Twitter & Facebook have taken a backseat to Google’s Android market where as much as $4 billion in mobile advertising revenue is expected to be generated.

Another aspect being implemented is new targeting options that allow advertisers to subject their campaigns to specifically focus on mobile or desktop/laptop computers. The benefit of this new mobile device targeting allows brands to cross platforms and advertise their message to a specific type of mobile user. An example of this comes in the form of apps & mobile games. Internet Marketing Companies can now tailor their ads to consumers with certain app uses and games played.

How many times have you accessed the web through your smart phone lately?  I bet you can’t even keep track of it.  Consumers are believed to be madly in love of their smartphones these days.  In the past few years, we have seen a huge increase on sales of smartphones worldwide.  According to Jason Spero, Google’s head of mobile sales, 38% percent of the total population in the United States is now smartphone owners.  95% of these owners generally used their smartphones for mobile search. Jason Spero also anticipated that about 1 billion people would use their mobile phones as their primary tool for internet usage by the end of this year.   So how prepared are businesses for this change?  Are their sites mobile ready?  Have they prepared a much stronger internet marketing campaign that would utilize the fast growth of mobile user enthusiasts?

I conducted a little visit to the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies’ websites to see if they are mobile ready and surprisingly, I found out that only 4 out of top 10 companies are mobile ready: Walmart, General Motors, Bank of America, and Ford.  I found their mobile sites very user friendly and easy to access.  These are companies that use the internet and marketing towards end consumers, and having a mobile ready site helps them reach their target demographic easier.

Though the other top 6 companies’ sites (Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Fannie Mae, General Electric, and Berkshire Hathaway) were accessible through mobile, they are not mobile friendly and I found them hard to explore.   It is understandable if some of these B2B companies do not target mobile users since they are not selling a product or service to end consumers. There is probably no need for it now, but in some small way, if these businesses really want to maximize the experience to their target audience, then creating a mobile ready site is not a bad idea.  For example, an investment holdings company like Berkshire Hathaway having a mobile friendly view of related financial news and stock price updates would really be beneficial to their investors.

There are no more questions that businesses have to go mobile.  By creating a more effective search marketing campaign, they have a bigger opportunity of reaching a much wider demographic.  But this potential success might not start unless they accept the idea of creating a mobile ready site.  With the overwhelming success of the mobile industry these days, businesses should really consider operating in the mobile world more.  So if you are a business, get started and create a mobile ready site.  Do not miss out on this great opportunity and soon your business would benefit from all the love that this huge mobile community is giving.

Valentine’s Day is just around corner, seriously just a few hours around the corner. Are you ready to give your love the magical day they deserve? Are you expecting to be swept off your feet but scared your significant other will fail your expectations? Maybe you have a secret crush that you want to sweep off their feet but have no idea what to do. Not to worry, with today’s ever advancing technology, the help of your trusty smart phone, and the best internet marketing company around, this sacred day for lovers will not be ruined.

The First Lifeline: Giftiki

If you’re reading this, you probably forgot to get your date a gift. That’s right; you have to get your date a gift on Valentine’s Day (EVEN if they say they don’t want one!). They always want one. Not to worry, with our first live saving mobile app Giftiki, you can send your love in the form of mobile gift cards. You can even include personal messages and include their friends in on the present. Now, if they accuse you of forgetting, just say you wanted to show how tech savvy and hip you are becoming and change the subject.

Lifeline #2: OpenTable

Think you have the perfect romantic dinner spot to take your date? Chances are a lot of other people are thinking the same thing. You don’t want your night ruined because you forgot to book a reservation at your favorite restaurant. With OpenTable you can either search online or on your smart phone for a list of restaurants with available seating and book a table. You can even narrow down the search for the type of restaurant you’re looking for and include notes for the host. You’ll seem like you planned it all along.

Lifeline #3: Uber

It’s Valentine’s Day, you and your date are going to be drinking wine or champagne. Don’t drink and drive. However, if you live in Boston, Chicago, LA, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, or Washington, D.C. you know it can be tricky to get a cab during popular days like this. We may be your internet marketing management guru’s, but no, we can’t be your designated drivers. However with Uber, you can request a pickup anytime from anywhere in a luxury vehicle. With only a tad higher fare, you’ll look like you booked a private luxury driver just for the two of you for the night. You won’t have to wait to try and hail a cab nor sit in their grungy back seats. Just get your date enough wine, so they don’t notice the driver may be different on the return trip.

Lifeline #4: Rebtel

To all you hopeless romantics out there in long distance relationships, we salute you. We know it is already hard enough to go the distance, so Rebtel makes it a little bit easier. Rebtel offers free or cheap services that allow you to make calls over your WiFi or 3G network. This way you can avoid expensive international charges from your carrier. Its Valentine’s Day, you know you’re going to be talking for a couple hours, save yourself some money while you’re at it.

The Fifth and Final Lifeline: Lovestagram

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. Not all of you may be the best with words to tell your date how you really feel. Not to fear, Lovestagram is here to help you out. With an Instagram account, you can log into Lovestagram, and it will gather every picture of you two together and put them into a slide show. And of course, you can add your own personalized note to make it seem like you put a lot of work into it.

You have the tools now go out and make that Valentine’s Day exactly what your special someone deserves. You see, your favorite SEM company doesn’t just help you with optimization, we have your back out there too.

Many people took time out of their day yesterday to take action against the passing of two proposed bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property  Act (PIPA). An astounding 4.5 million people signed Google’s Anti-SOPA petition, according to the LA Times. Eighteen senators pulled back their position on PIPA, including Senator Marco Rubio (co-sponsor from Florida), and SOPA co-sponsor Arizona rep. Ben Quayle also changed his stance to opposing the bill on Tuesday.

The goal of these bills is to censor your web browsing which would also potentially impose damaging effects on American business and even our very own Internet Marketing Inc. All of you last minute paper writing college students must be in for a tough week because Wikipedia is officially blacked out in an attempt to dislodge the bills from being accepted. Wikipedia is allowing you to raise awareness by putting up a fancy box that allows you to input your zip code and let your voice be heard. After submitting your zip code, information of your district officials allows you to contact them. Feel free to drop them a line, express your concern and give them your opinion on censoring your rights.

Now there is always two sides to the story. Google understands that combatting piracy is vital, but, “the most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.” Also joining in is Mozilla as they changed their default home page from a blank white background to black.

What are your feelings as to how citizens have reacted to this attempt at censoring your web searches?

With the rapid growth of smartphone and tablet sales, many retailers have begun to create mobile commerce sites in hopes to acquire a larger client base. But what most retailers don’t understand is that it’s not just about creating the mobile commerce site; you must optimize it in a way that’s user-friendly when accessed through search engines or popular shopping apps. Foot Locker is a good example of how this is done correctly and efficiently.

When shoppers are using their mobile device to browse the web, they are most likely clicking a link on one of the popular mobile apps from Facebook, Twitter, or Google or through a web search. They are then redirected to a page designed to be accessed from a laptop computer or desktop, not with the viewing capabilities of the small screen our mobile devices offer us. This inevitably will kill your conversion rate. As a retailer, you must account for all the mobile social users that are clicking links created for a desktop search. It is vital that you understand a lot of your customers are now coming to you on a smartphone through Google, Facebook, and Twitter apps that connect to content with desktop page URLs, not mobile URLs.

So how exactly should we be optimizing our mobile commerce sites?

Brian Klais, founder and president of mobile commerce consulting and technology from Pure Oxygen Labs LLC, says, “To build a mobile commerce site on the m-dot domain structure (for example, m.Retailer.com). When alle-commerce site www-dot web pages are in perfect alignment with all mobile m-dot pages, it becomes easier for a retailer to redirect a consumer from an e-commerce page to an m-commerce page, regardless of where the consumer is clicking from.” By doing so, this will lead to those high conversion rates every retailer hopes for.

Amazon is a great example of how redesigning ones layout to be more tablet friendly will improve your conversion rate. They recently changed their interface to a simpler and less cluttered look, with larger buttons that are easy for tablet users to tap (as opposed to the standard links or smaller buttons). The biggest improvement, as stated by the web design firm Alexander Interactive, is a fly-out window that appears when user taps ‘Shop By Department.’ The bold text in this menu is praised for its clarity on both PC monitors and tablets.

Now we ask, when will you be making the change to have your site more mobile-friendly?

The ability for clients to shop on your website is becoming more and more important as people now use their mobile devices as their computers. If your site isn’t able to easily offer them the ability to look at what they want, you lose a customer and in seconds that customer will go to your competitor or lose interest all together.

Being unable to access businesses websites happens thousands of times a day. Each day more and more of your customers are looking for you through their smart phones. A mobile website is designed to be able to be seen from mobile devices without any problems and without having to pinch or zoom the screens.

How to improve your mobile business website

By going to HowToGoMo.com, business owners can enter their current URL and see how their websites are seen on mobiles. GoMo will then make suggestions on how to improve the site and make it more mobile friendly. It will also show you great examples of mobile websites and lead you to mobile site developers such as Atmio, Inc, Dudamobile, and Google Site Builder.

GoMo is an important marketing effort to help businesses with their mobile sites. As more people will be able to access mobile sites and be better able to surf through them, Google will be able to increase their advertising reach.

It is a win-win situation for all, as businesses are able to keep their clients searching on their website though their mobile devices, attract customers to their website and services through another source, and Google will be able to broaden their advertising opportunities.

After a much anticipated wait, Apple announced yesterday the innovative new features the iPhone 4S has to offer. From a lightning speed dual-core processor, to over 200 new software features, to a voice activated assistant who learns to understand your exact wants and needs, the iPhone will once again take us into a new world of technological advancement. So what does this mean to marketers? In a nutshell, the iPhone will be more advantageous and more essential than ever before, and the new iOS software will be hard to pass up – resulting in an expansion in market share.

Siri App and Its Ability to Understand Consumers

Some people may be familiar with the Siri App, which has been in the improvement stage for the past 18 months at Apple. Bringing the consumer a natural language processing assistant capable of responding to text messages, finding ideal restaurants proactively, and even helping to set reminders and schedule appointments, without even leaving your pocket (via Bluetooth).

This voice activated assistant not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean. For example, if one was to ask Siri “Where can I find some good breakfast cafes nearby?” Siri would respond, “I found a number of breakfast cafes near you.” It would then proceed to generate a list of possible cafes to choose from.

If your business is in that location, this new application serves as a strong advantage for your company against competitors. Although, it is not yet stated to what degree Apple will give developer’s access to the Siri API, but
if and when this happens, third-party applications will be able to push their company to its target market through this innovative form of mobile marketing.

3 Price Levels Will Expand iOS Market Share

In efforts to remain ahead of the Android market, Apple had to be wary as to how they would introduce the upgraded iPhone 4S. They decided to remain in line with their current pricing level for the 16GB version and 32GB version at $199 and $299, respectively. Apple is also introducing for the first time a whopping 64GB edition, priced at $399. In order to drive up iPhone market share, Apple is offering the 3GS version for free with a two-year contract, in addition to purchasing the current iPhone 4 model at a mere $99 (8GB).

With an increased market share, marketers will find it easier to focus solely on the iOS platform in order to allocate their dollars and mobile marketing efforts adequately. We can then assume those contemplating switching to the Android platform may be deferred, due to the increased attention for the iOS platform.

The Siri app and subsequent market share expansion, are only two of the defining highlights of the new iPhone 4S. We are anxious to see what Apple will come out with next that is sure to help us, as marketers, reach our audience in more innovative ways than ever before.

When writing content on the web, a good rule of thumb is to use the inverted pyramid technique, also known as Bottom Line Up Front.  This entails putting your most important point as the title and first paragraph of text in your article, and the supporting details towards the end.  Be sure to capture the attention of your users’ right at the beginning of your page, so that way they don’t need to scroll down to get the main points of your article. On the web, people tend to jump from page to page on websites, so you want to catch their attention right away.

Benefits for Readers

If a user likes what they see in your article from the beginning, they are more likely to bookmark it and read the rest of the article later. Or, if they are using a mobile phone, they can see the main point of the article and email it to themselves to read later on. (more…)