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Category Archives: Mobile

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Mobile vs. Desktop Browsing: Is Time Spent On Site a Useful Metric?

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As smartphone and tablet adoption increases, businesses are finding that they have to track and optimize their sites for additional metrics. While desktop browsing still far exceeds mobile browsing, mobile Web usage is expected to overtake desktop usage by 2015. Businesses that have begun tracking mobile metrics and optimizing for mobile behaviors stand to benefit the most from this revolution in Internet access.

Mobile Behavior

Time on Site: Mobile vs. Desktop Visitors

One key metric for measuring visitor engagement is the time spent on site. Typically, more time spent on a website means that more pages are likely to be visited, leading to an increased chance of conversion.

Mobile users tend to spend less time on site than desktop visitors do—in some cases, as much as 40 percent less time. Many factors contribute to this, including:

  • Simple Navigation
  • Quick Conversion Funnel
  • Savvy Navigators
  • Increased Download Speed

Simple, Streamlined Navigation

A best practice for a mobile site’s homepage is to place the navigation menu at the top so that visitors can easily navigate as soon as they land on the site. Many sites also replicate the same navigation menu and place it in the footer on internal pages of the site. Adding a site search, especially with auto-complete functionality, is another good practice for mobile sites.

Quick Conversion Funnel

Mobile visitors who are ready to convert want a quick conversion funnel, so it’s best to map out how a mobile site will have the shortest path to conversion possible. It may be as simple as including a click-to-call phone number in the header, having a prominent call-to-action button linking to a lead generation form in the content of each page, or integrating PayPal’s Express Checkout for Mobile Devices.

Savvy Navigators: Mobile vs. Desktop Visitors

Sometimes visitors spend less time on a site because they know how to find what they seek right off the bat. Today’s mobile users include a large percentage of tech-savvy individuals who may know how to navigate websites better than those still tethered to personal computers. As smartphones penetrate deeper into the market, this factor will become less significant.

Download Speed: Mobile vs. Desktop Visitors

Smartphones employ the latest technology, while many desktop visitors may be accessing the Internet on older, slower systems. This means that what appears to be a difference in time spent consuming content may actually represent a difference in download speeds, with mobile users able to receive and consume content faster than those using a desktop computer.

Mobile Devices are Not Created Equal

When analyzing mobile behavior by device, one key insight emerges: smartphone and tablet usage varies. In fact, tablet behavior more closely correlates with that of desktop usage than that of smartphone usage. Businesses seeking to maximize the value of their mobile market should segregate their data to allow for a better understanding of the needs and behaviors of users on different devices.

Time on site can be an important indicator of visitor engagement, but as the above factors indicate, it must be considered within the context of the user, the device used, and the site goals. Businesses should be tracking time on site by device and optimizing for mobile usage in order to respond to this rising market that will soon eclipse desktop browsing.

Posted in Mobile, Online Marketing | Tagged , ,

 

The Case for Mobile SEO

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Mobile SEO

Mobile SEO – does it exist? If so, how important is it? And is it really that much different than the regular SEO we all know and love? Whether or not you’ve been told that developing a mobile site is vital to converting customers on that platform, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

Although some experts in our field question the necessity of mobile SEO, there’s no denying the huge opportunity within mobile site development.

And I know what you’re thinking – If Apple, one of the leading pioneers in mobile Web browsing, doesn’t need a mobile website, why would I need one? It’s true that Apple has made one site that is desktop- and mobile-friendly, but this doesn’t mean that their approach could work for everyone or that you can ignore designing with mobile users in mind. Furthermore, Apple is in a unique position. Brands that are not as iconic will struggle if they do not embrace the mobile revolution because users will not grant the same patience or credibility to mobile sites with poor user experiences.

When people search on their smartphones, they typically have an immediate need and therefore, are much more likely to take an action:

  • More than half of smartphone users make a purchase after searching: 68% visit a business and 53% make a purchase (40% of these purchases are made in-store)
  • Local info seekers are ready to buy: 77% contact a business and 44% make a purchase (36% of these purchases are made in-store)
  • 36% of local info seekers take action immediately after searching (http://www.gstatic.com/ads/research/en/2011_TheMobileMovement.pdf)

If your desktop site is already mobile-friendly, these statistics indicate that you are on the right track. If not, it’s time that you begin to incorporate mobile (and in some cases, local) search into your online strategy.

Mobile and smartphone usage has grown at such a rapid pace that many of us couldn’t have possibly foreseen the necessity of having mobile-friendly websites. If you have a successful desktop website, don’t think you have to dismantle everything and start from scratch. There are plenty of readily available mobile SEO best practices for those of us still developing digital marketing strategies in this portable computing world.

Posted in Local SEO, Mobile, SEO | Tagged , ,

 

Sitelinks and Mobile Marketing

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By now we’ve all heard of Google sitelinks. Some of us are even aware of enhanced sitelinks, if we were lucky enough to get on the white list for this beta. But, are you aware of the benefit of using sitelinks in your mobile marketing strategy? Let me enlighten you!

First, let me clarify what I mean by ‘mobile marketing.’ In this case, I am referring to campaigns within Google Adwords set to target only mobile devices.  Also let me note that the client does not have a mobile site or landing page. The desktop landing page renders well enough on mobile devices to direct traffic there until a mobile page can be created.

When I first started running these mobile-targeted campaigns, I had not included sitelinks. To be honest, the idea hadn’t even crossed my mind. However, when I did a search from my cell phone for something unrelated to my client’s business, I noticed an ad with two sitelinks underneath and then organic listings. It was the only sponsored ad at the top of the screen. Because mobile ads typically display 2 ads at the top of the screen and 2 ads at the bottom, the addition of the sitelinks takes up the real estate of the 2nd ad.

I then did search for one of my client’s keywords and noticed our ad and then a competitor’s ad in the top of the screen. I immediately added sitelinks to the mobile campaigns in hopes of taking up all of the top real estate. Within a week, impressions, clicks, and even conversions had increased on these campaigns. When I searched the same keyword as before, I noticed my client’s ad with two sitelinks underneath at the top of the screen, followed immediately by my client’s organic listing. By the end of the month, conversions had doubled since the day of sitelinks launch and cost-per-conversion was still within our goal.

Including sitelinks in mobile-targeted campaigns is an easy addition that can yield great results. You not only better your chances of top exposure, you help eliminate competitor “interference” and increase your chances for conversions. In this case, conversions doubled. Why not take advantage of these ad extensions and see the difference they can make for you?

Posted in Mobile, Paid Search | Tagged , , , ,

 

No Mobile Site? No Problem!

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By now, I am sure everyone has heard about the importance of being optimized for mobile. (Heck, we even have an entire category on our blog dedicated to mobile marketing.) More specifically, mobile PPC is starting to really become a must to try, especially if you do any business locally. If you have had contact with anyone from Google in the past year, they practically begin and end every conversation talking about mobile. Well here is a dirty little secret that you may not know about …

You DO NOT need a mobile site to get leads from a mobile PPC campaign.

Yes, you read that correctly, and I am not crazy. How, Matt, you ask, is this possible?

By setting up a “Call Only” campaign—and it’s really quite simple.  All you need to have is a working phone number and the ability to handle calls to your business.

Duplicate any campaign you desire and change the settings to target Mobile Devices. Then, enter the Ad Extensions tab and select Call Extensions.  Enter in the phone number you would like to appear with your ads (bonus points if this is a line that can be tracked to see the volume this effort is generating). Select the option to “Show my phone number only on mobile phones”. Then select “Show only the link to my phone number”. Save and that is it!

When somebody conducts a search on a mobile device and triggers your ad, it appears with a phone number. When somebody clicks your ad, instead of going to your website, the phone number is automatically loaded into their phone and places a call. It’s like magic! Just remember to answer your phone when it starts ringing.

Posted in Mobile, Paid Search

 

Take Me Out To the Ball Game (But Don’t Forget Your Mobile Device)

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Mobile Marketing

With America’s pastime, Major League Baseball, kicking off its 2012 season this week, you may want to take note of the results of a recent study released by Motricity: “79% of sports fans use mobile.”

Fans attending baseball games this summer will see the beautiful green grass on the field, hear the crack of the bat, smell the fresh popcorn, and taste the delicious hot dogs. The most important sense to consider is touch: That is the interaction by fans on their touchscreen smartphone with the professional sports franchises.

So many sports fans are using mobile, therefore, it’s important for teams to have a mobile marketing strategy in place to engage their loyal fan base, promote upcoming events, and sell merchandise. As an online marketing specialist with prior experience working in the sports industry, I’m pleased to share some great tips to help you develop a mobile marketing strategy.

Mobile Website

According to Neilsen, “66% of Americans ages 24-35 own a smartphone.” A mobile website should be a must-have in your mobile marketing strategy. A mobile website will allow your fans to easily access your game schedule, purchase tickets & merchandise, read team news, and lookup player statistics.

SMS Marketing

Sports teams, like any business, are always striving to build their list of subscribers, whether it’s for email newsletters or direct mail campaigns. Why not take advantage of the SMS marketing, since it has the highest open rate compared to any other permission-based marketing method. For example, you can build your list of subscribers by having a text-to-win contest or by simply inviting fans to sign-up for text alerts with the incentive being occasional discounts on tickets or merchandise.

QR Codes

These two-dimensional matrix barcodes are commonly used in mobile marketing strategies. Sports teams can use QR codes in their printed game programs to deliver even more content to fans.  For example, a team includes a QR code, which leads to a video interview or highlight video, in an article about one of its star players.

Social Media

There’s no question that social media is mobile. Most people on Twitter send tweets directly from their smartphone and checking-in on Foursquare would not be possible without a GPS-enabled mobile device. For example, your team can engage fans at the game by running a Tweet Your Seat promotion. Then the promotional crew can bring a prize to the winning seat. Also, your team can incentivize check-ins on Foursquare by offering a special prize for the “Mayor.”

There’s an app for that!

Smartphone apps are great for increasing the engagement of your fan base, because you can offer interactive elements such as games, sortable stats, video highlights, audio highlights, and team news. App developers can also take advantage of the mobile device’s native features and implement APIs to connect to social media.

Now that you have some ideas for your mobile marketing strategy, why don’t you sit back, relax, and enjoy some peanuts and Cracker Jack, because it’s time to “Play Ball!”

Posted in Mobile, Sports/Entertainment

 

Why You Should Run Mobile PPC Campaigns

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If you’re not running mobile PPC campaigns, you’re definitely behind your competition. Mobile ad spending will increase to $4.39 billion by 2015 (eMarketer, September 2011). In addition, according to Google/OTC, over 50% of searchers’ purchases were as a result of a smartphone search in the U.S (The Mobile Movement, U.S, 4/2011).

Mobile PPC Spend

Today, many advertisers are running mobile paid search campaigns within Google AdWords. However, the majority of advertisers are running mobile campaigns within the same campaigns as desktop/laptop targeting. This is a big no-no for the following reasons:

1. Bidding is Different: Only 2 ads show on most smartphones (and sometimes up to 3 ads under all the organic listings at the very bottom), so you have to bid higher (in some cases) to make sure your ad is appearing. In desktop/laptops SERPs, as many as 10 or 11 ads will show on the first page (up to 3 at the top plus ads on the right side)!

2. Better Understanding of ROI: Although you may segment by device when targeting desktop/laptop campaigns in the same campaign, doing this still makes it more difficult to know how each is doing individually vs. having completely separate campaigns.

3. Click 2 Call: Targeting just mobile devices allows you to have ads where users can click from the ads without actually having to visit your website. This is very important if you have a better close rate via your call center/customer service representatives or if you lack a mobile site or landing page.

4. Mobile-Specific Landing Pages: If you have a mobile-specific website or landing page, it is definitely necessary you have mobile campaigns separated from desktop computers, as Google cannot automatically detect the difference.

5. Mobile-Specific Ad Copy: By having a separate mobile PPC campaign, you can tailor your ads by audience. You may want to use different calls-to-action, such as “Call Today,” that relate to your users’ intent and capabilities.

Still not convinced to try mobile advertising? Look at the graph below to see mobile purchases after ad exposure by industry. (From ROI Research, Inc. & Microsoft, Multi Country Mobile Advertising Research Study, March 2011):

Mobile PPC By Industry

Posted in Mobile, Online Marketing, Paid Search | Tagged , , , ,

 

Taking a Different Tack to Marketing

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As businesses shift from old media to new, are we asking the right questions?

According to Forrester, US interactive marketing spend was about 19% of all US advertising spend in 2011. The research company is predicting this figure will increase to 35% by 2016 (subscription required for full report), or $77B, which will be equal to the current spending on TV.

A big marketing shift
Lots of people in our industry ponder how quickly this shift will occur. This transition creates wonderful wind at Fathom’s back as a top 25 firm in the interactive space. We are fortunate to have enjoyed growth rates 2-3 times the industry rate, which is important to us because we feel anyone can go as fast as the wind, but only the best sailors can exceed it.

Enough about us. Back to the question of how quickly online & mobile will displace traditional. I’m not going to get into all the reasons why this is a matter of when and how fast, not if, because that has been well documented. If you need further proof, the next time you are in a room with 20+ people, ask them to raise a hand if they’ve received a direct snail-mail piece in the last 60 days that led to a purchase. Then tell them, “Raise your hand if you have used the Internet in the last 60 days to research and/or complete a purchase.” Clearly this shift is well underway, so what I’m really interested in is: Are we even asking the right question?

Lessons from China: Advertising trends
Thanks to a recent chance meeting, what I think we should be asking finally became clear. I had the opportunity to discuss Chinese advertising trends with Professor Zhao Zizhong, a visiting dean from The Institute of Digital Media Research at Beijing’s Communication University of China. Our discussion was fascinating. He said 15 years ago, people in China generally didn’t even know what advertising was. We got into a discussion about the speed of the transition from traditional to digital in the US and China. The conclusion we came to was the question is not how quickly will advertisers adopt the search, social and mobile platforms of today (Google, Facebook and iPhone), but rather, “How quickly will advertisers adopt the things that are going to replace Google, Facebook and iPhone?” The recent and rapid adoption of Pinterest as one of the top online social networks in terms of time spent on site is a case in point: Pinterest seems to have come out of nowhere.

Here today, gone tomorrow
Google and Facebook seem ubiquitous today. However, talking to my new friend from China reminded me of my high-school days (not that long ago!) on the electronic typewriter and my first email account on the ubiquitous AOL. How times have changed as I compose this article on my MacBook Air. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

And regardless of what specific digital landscapes we encounter at any given moment, we are so excited at Fathom to continue to be the simple interface that allows our clients to turn the massive sea change that is underway into big-time revenue for their businesses.

***

Photo courtesy of John en Elza Bakker Fotowereld via Flickr.

Posted in Mobile, Online Marketing, Social Media | Tagged , , , , ,

 

College Students and QR Codes Don’t Mix

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Not too long ago, I wrote a blog post about what it’s like to not scan QR codes since I don’t have a smartphone. But recently I discovered that not having a smartphone might not be what’s really keeping my general demographic from scanning QR codes.

Students scanning QR codes

I’m a fairly recent college grad, and on campus I never really heard much about QR codes. As it turns out, that’s pretty normal for college students, according to a survey done by Archrival Youth Marketing. Archrival worked with 24 colleges in the U.S. and surveyed over 500 students about QR codes, and they compiled their findings in this infographic.

Perhaps the most surprising result is that 81.1% of students said they had a smartphone, but 58.1% said they were “very unlikely” to scan a QR code if they came across one. This question is, admittedly, a bit vague, but it still suggests that college students aren’t very interested in QR codes.

What interests me most is that only 21.5% of the students could actually scan a code when asked. Now, do students have a hard time scanning codes because they’re simply not interested in them, and therefore never figured out how to do it? Or do they avoid scanning QR codes because they’re a pain to actually scan?

Usability appears to be a problem when it comes to the college student experience of QR codes. My experience of trying to scan a code is very limited, of course, but now I wonder how off-putting it is to simply try to scan one. For a while I thought that taking a picture of a QR code would scan it, but I learned otherwise from my coworker, Jonathan Levey—who incidentally wrote an informative blog about QR codes from a technical perspective. Anyway, this shows that misconceptions about QR codes do persist.

From what I’ve learned, I think the success of using QR codes in marketing campaigns depends on their conveyed value and the ease of trying to scan them. Essentially, what scanners need is more information—a reason to scan the code and instruction on how to do it.

 

*Image provided by Michael M Grant on Flickr

Posted in Lead-gen, Mobile, Usability | Tagged ,

 

Mobile Commerce Optimization Tips

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Mobile Commerce

The number of smartphone owners is increasing rapidly each day. People not only use their smartphones to check email and make phone calls, but they’re also using them as shopping tools.  According to comScore Inc., two-thirds of smartphone owners shop from their mobile device. They make excellent shopping tools, because there are many websites and apps designed to compare prices, get product reviews, locate nearby stores, and purchase products.

If your business has a mobile commerce website or app, the goal is to lower bounce rates and increase conversions. In order for this to happen, your mobile site must have the proper functionality, and it needs to be optimized effectively. I’d like to share some tips and best practices for mobile commerce optimization.

Usability is incredibly important for smartphone owners. Here are a few usability tips to consider that may help lower bounce rates and increase your customers’ mobile shopping satisfaction:

  • Include breadcrumb links at the top of product pages, as well as category results. These features allow users to easily navigate throughout your mobile store.
  • Give your users the option of switching to the desktop website at any time. A link in the footer to view the full site is great for usability. This link should dynamically update to point to the desktop version of the current page.
  • If your business has a brick-and-mortar location, take advantage of the location-based (GPS) feature on mobile devices, as it will help the user find your closest store.

Once you’ve satisfied your smartphone owners with a good user experience, the goal is to get them to make a purchase. In order to make it easy for customers to convert, it’s important to consider the following:

  • Product details, such as product reviews, impact the buying decision of the customer.
  • Nonessential steps in your checkout process add friction, likely resulting in lost revenue.
  • Low content volume on each page is essential. Instead of forcing users to scroll down on pages, split content across multiple pages, or use jQuery tabs to organize content within a limited space.
  • Larger input fields in forms gain attention and decrease typos. Also, any form elements that you can pre-populate with a drop-down select field will decrease form friction.
  • Use a drop-down select field instead of radio buttons, because a list of radio buttons clutters the form and makes it look longer.
  • Replace a long drop-down field with a predictive text input field.
  • Having the shopping cart and checkout accessible from every page makes it easy for customers to complete a purchase.

From an SEO standpoint, here are some technical tips to help your mobile commerce site’s ranking and visibility in Google’s mobile search results:

  • Create a mobile sitemap so that your mobile-specific content gets indexed.
  • Use an “m” or “mobile” subdomain for your site to help Google crawl it and add it to the correct index.
  • Create a robots.txt file with a sitemap protocol listing the location of the mobile sitemap, and upload the file to the root directory of the mobile site.

Be sure to keep these tips in mind as you develop a mobile commerce strategy to decrease bounce rates and increase conversions, and to improve rankings and visibility in Google’s mobile search results. Your customers will buy from you more often, more new clients will discover you while they are mobile-searching, and you’ll enjoy knowing that your website is doing its best job to represent your business to the web-savvy world-at-large.

Posted in Conversion Optimization, E-commerce, Mobile, Usability | Tagged , , ,

 

What’s New With Foursquare?

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Are you currently using Foursquare for your business? If you’ve avoided the site up until now, it might be time to finally give in.

In its beginnings, Foursquare was simply a mobile app used as a tool for letting friends and family know where they could find you. You could check in at local restaurants, stores, gyms and other locations, and have that check-in show up in your social media feeds.

Now, Foursquare has evolved to include so much more than that. It is now used as a way for people to discover new places and for businesses to develop loyalty and build relationships with their customers.

Foursquare isn’t even just a mobile application anymore. It has grown to include a Foursquare website, which up until now didn’t offer much. With the new redesign, however, the Foursquare website has much to offer its visitors.

Some of the most notable changes on the website include the homepage. It now features a large map that displays all the interesting things happening near you. For example, the map shows:

  • Your friends
  • Nearby trending locations
  • Places on your lists
  • Places that are offering specials
  • Popular locations

The zoom function allows users to take a closer look at what is happening around them. As users move around the map, it will automatically update to continue showing trending locations and the other features.

The most exciting feature of the Foursquare redesign is the new planning tool. Not only can you check in to places you visit, but you can actually plan your day. If you have a conference in Chicago, you can actually plan every aspect of your trip before you even arrive. Just some of the ways you can plan your day include viewing popular locations near where you will be, finding deals at local restaurants and stores, and viewing tips from people that have frequented the locations you are considering.

Foursquare is tapping into this market by offering increased usability through its full website. While the functionality on its mobile applications is still intact, the enhanced website will make it easier for users to get even more out of Foursquare.

Posted in Mobile, Online PR, SEO, Social Media | Tagged , ,

 

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