A review of the many opportunities available to search marketers in the native application ecosystem, presented by Rachel Pasqua, Co-Founder of Token, October 2013

1. SEO
In the Age of
Apps
Keeping your brand
visible in a
hyperlocal, multiplatform
world
OMCap Berlin| October 10, 2013

2. The Digital Ecosystem in 2006

3. The Digital Ecosystem in 2013
Tablets
Desktop
Image
Codes & AR
Laptop
Digital Kiosks & Social
Machines
Smartphones
Connected
Surfaces
Digital Out of Home, Theaters, Connected TV
Native Apps
Wearable
Technology
Connected
Consoles
Connected
Games
Connected
Cars

4. It was a lot easier when our biggest
worry was…
• Why mobile, why now?
―Does it work in Internet Explorer on a
Mac?‖

5. The challenge for brands is…
How do you
get found in such a fast-evolving
landscape?
SES Berlin
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6. The content conundrum
mobile web vs. mobile
apps, mobile SEO options

7. Search is the #1 mobile browser activity
Mobile search is a fundamental activity and discovery channel for
smartphone consumers—particularly through the browser.
Food/Cooking tips
Business directories
Online retail
Classifieds
Restaurant information
Maps
Bank accounts
11.3%
12.2%
14.0%
US Smartphone Browser Activities
comScore MobiLens, April 2012
15.1%
15.9%
16.9%
17.0%
Stock/Financial news
17.2%
Movie information
17.5%
Photo/video sharing service
Entertainment News
18.7%
25.8%
33.0%
News
Social networking
34.2%
47.7%
Search
SES Berlin
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8. Yet in terms of overall usability, people seem to 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.
55%
More convenient
85% of people surveyed by
Compuware Corporation in
March 2013 said they prefer
mobile apps over mobile
sites, according to a consumer
survey of 3,500.
Faster
48%
Easier to browse
40%
28%
Better UX
27%
Easier to check account
Easier to shop
26%
3%
11%
1%
SES Berlin
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9. Even if an app is used to search, the content found is likely to be a website
A poor post-click experience will torpedo your search campaign. A great
mobile SEO or SEM strategy is meaningless without the right content.
61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile
site that they had trouble accessing from their
phone.
40% said they'd visit a competitor's web site
instead.
19% would have a negative overall perception of a
company if they were dissatisfied with the performance of
its Web site on a mobile device.
% of US mobile users that say site performance affects their perception of, or
connection with a brand (Google 2011)
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10. There are 4 main web mobilization options
• Bespoke: a totally separate site—new application
server, database, and transport infrastructure.
Preferred Approaches
• Hosted: a 3rd party provider repurposes the existing .com site for
mobile and hosts the content for you.
{
• Adaptive: dynamic serving of separate site content existing site
components leveraged, using built-in mobile modularity and
building net new interfaces as needed.
• Responsive: a single HTML5/CSS3 site that modifies the way
content is presented according to device –e.g.
desktop, smartphone, tablet.
SES Berlin
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11. The hosted mobile web
These vendors host your content on their own servers, creating a 3rd party facsimile of
your web site. Great solution for microsites and landing pages. Ideal interim solution if
you will be redesigning your site within the next 12-18 months.
Pro
• Fast time to market
• Little or no need to integrate with your backend environment
Cons
• Little control over your content
• 3rd party URLs
• Templated Uis
• You aren‘t paying for a site—you‘re paying
for as service.
SES Berlin
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12. The adaptive mobile website
These sites utilize your existing content– mobile page templates integrate content from a
single CMS, keeping your desktop and mobile sites synched in the same .com
environment. Ideal approach for mobilization of brand sites that are 2-3 years away from
redesign.
Pros
• Rich, native app-like interfaces
• Centralized content management
• Total control over URL structure and SEO
• Seamless updates across desktop and mobile
• Total control over infrastructure and deployment
schedules
Cons
• Higher level of effort than hosted option
• Longer time to market
SES Berlin
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13. The responsive design website (strict definition)
A responsive approach uses HTML5 and CSS3 to create a single, fluid site that reformats
itself on the fly to fit the screen at hand. The preferred direction for both visibility and
usability but usually requires a complete redesign and re-architecture. The #1
recommended approach for brands planning a completely new site.
Pros
• No need to duplicate SEO efforts
• Desktop and mobile URLs are
identical so link equity is shared
• No need to duplicate Linking efforts
to your mobile site/domain
Cons
• Potential to compromise mobile site
performance by forcing mobile
browsers to load desktop content
• More code=more maintenance
SES Berlin
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14. The RESS website (Responsive + Adaptive)
A responsive approach uses HTML5 and CSS3 to create a single, fluid site that reformats
itself on the fly to fit the screen at hand. The preferred direction for both visibility and
usability but usually requires a complete redesign and re-architecture. The #1
recommended approach for brands planning a completely new site.
Pros
• No need to duplicate SEO efforts
• Desktop and mobile URLs are
identical so link equity is shared
• No need to duplicate Linking efforts
to your mobile site/domain
Cons
• Potential to compromise mobile site
performance by forcing mobile
browsers to load desktop content
• More code=more maintenance
SES Berlin
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15. All-purpose mobile SEO best practices
Regardless of mobile site set up, the following best practices remain true for
all platforms (as well as standard desktop SEO).
– 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
connections
– User Experience
• Ensure visitors can find the information they are looking for and interact with
the website suitable
– Content Optimization
• Optimize important page elements and content to identified keywords
– Crawlability Obstacles
• Code the website free from Obstacles, such as Flash and obstrusive
JavaScript
https://developers.google.com/webmasters/smartphone-sites/details
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16. Additional mobile SEO recommendations
– Responsive Design & Adaptive Sites
• Use CSS Media-Queries to format size to screen (responsive only)
• Return a Vary: User Agent response in the HTTP header to signal to search
engines that content has changed, and why
– Separate Mobile and Desktop URLs
• Operate a separate subdomain or subdirectory for mobile visitors (Google does
not favor one format over the other).
• Redirect devices and crawlers based on User Agent
– Include Vary Header in HTTP response code and be clear to users and crawlers why a redirect took
place
• Redirects can be either unidirectional or bidirectional – decide based on user
experience but give users an option to override the redirect if they choose.
• Use ‗switchboard tags‘ to connect Desktop and Mobile URL signals, avoiding
duplicate content and consolidating link value
•Desktop URL –> rel=―alternate‖ to Mobile URL
•Mobile URL -> rel=―canonical‖ to Desktop URL
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17. HTTP vary redirects
•
•
•
•
•
Treat search engine bots, including Googlebot and Googlebot-Smartphone like any other user-agent
and redirect accordingly.
Include Vary in HTTP response to explain redirect
Redirect to a specific mobile URL – not the homepage (Match the switchboard tag with the redirect
URL)
Either 301 or 302 redirects are fine
Give users a way to override redirects for UX using cookies
Requested URL
Response Code
Mobile URL
Vary Response
http://www.example.com
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4.1 like Mac OS X; en-us_ A….
Accept: text/html,application/xhtml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5
Accept-Encoding: qzip, deflate
Connection: keep-alive
HTTP/1.1 302 Moved Temporarily
Server: Apache
Location: http://www.example.com
Content-Length: 0
Cache-Control: max-age=300
Expires: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:30:37 GMT
Vary: User-Agent
Date: wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:25:37 GMT
Connection: keep-alive
Set-Cookie: JSESSIONID=83D8D08297F7C62D46FB8145130EF666.worker6;Path=/;HttpOnly
https://developers.google.com/webmasters/smartphone-sites/redirects
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18. Canonical tags
Use canonical and alternate tags to connect mobile and desktop URLs together
 Avoid duplicate content
 Combine authority and popularity signals
This change can also be reflected in the standard sitemap.xml file
<link rel=“canonical”
Href=“http://www.example.com/page-1>
<link rel=“alternate”
media=“only screen and (max-width: 640px)
href=http://m.example.com/page-1>
<url>
<loc>http://www.example.com/page-1/<loc>
<xhtml:link
rel+”alternate”
Media=“only screen and (max-width: 640px)”
Href=“http//m.example.com/page-1>
</url>
http://searchengineland.com/switchboard-tags-like-canonical-tags-but-for-mobile-seo-127676
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19. App Search
Getting indexed within native
mobile apps
SES Berlin
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20. It‘s important to understand app-based search channels because:
• As users gravitate towards apps for search
purposes, content result types diversify—it‘s not
just about the browser anymore.
• Search destinations diversify as well—most
brands must focus on the major search engines
plus a variety of niche search apps.
• The old SEO rules still apply but, new SEO best
practices are evolving that will govern the app
search ecosystem.
SES Berlin
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21. Google search app: web results
Much like the desktop, Google still rules the roost with 97% market share.
Yet most searches performed with the Google App lead to browser content.
The stats
•
•
•
Estimated 84% of the world‘s mobile search market.1
53% of the mobile ad revenue in the US.2
3 out of 4 most popular US apps belong to Google (Google+,
YouTube, and Google Maps.3
Getting found
•
•
•
•
Sources results from the main Google index as well as
other Google properties.
A well-optimized 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 nontraditional content channels.
| 1 StatCounter, 06.2013 | 2 eMarketer, 08.2013 | 3 GlobalWebIndex, 08.2013 |
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22. Google search app: app results
The Google Search App homepage routes users away from general, mobile web-based results
with a strong prompt to other Google Apps.
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23. Google search app: voice results
Likewise, the Google Search App offers a prominent link to voice search vs. browser results. As
user uptake increases, SEOs will need to optimize for natural language queries vs. keywords.
• Still not quite sematic—Google
Voice utilizes speech-to-text and
text-to-speech.
• Available in the Google Search App
and Google Apps Browser App
• Focus less on keywords and more on
answers to the most relevant
questions a real-time search users
might ask.
• Increased relevance for local content.
SES Berlin
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24. Google Goggles (and, eventually, Glasses)
The Google Search Apps also present a prominent prompt to engage in visual search via
Google Goggles. As image recognition becomes more refined, users are bound to become
more reliant on visual search via mobile camera.
• Optimize all images by using them contextually on
the page and utilizing the ALT tag with sematic and
geospatial statements to identify them.
• Utilize sematic file names—using both image/logo
brand name in image file URLs e.g.
―YOUR_NAME_company-logo.png‖
• Use the Rel tag to visually define logos and icons.
• Use your brand logo on Google Places and Google
Plus pages
• For retailers add your products to Google
Shopping, which should give your listing preferential
treatment over listings without images.
SES Berlin
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25. Google+ Local, Google+ Business
Smartphone search is heavily oriented towards action-oriented, real-world activity—Google+
Business and Google+ Local are key discovery pathways.
The stats
•
•
Approx. 74% of local search volume is mobile.1
Mobile local search volume will outpace desktop by 2015.2
Getting found
•
•
•
•
Google Places is gone—many listings carried over to Google+
Local and Google+ Business but many did not, so claim or
create your listing.
Google+ App sources results from Google+ web—optimization
tactics should carry over.
Business details—e.g. phone number, store hours, payment
options—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.
| Chitika 10.2012
BIA/Kelsey 04.2012 |
1
SES Berlin
2
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26. Google Maps
Google Maps is the acknowledged leader in the mobile maps and GPS space. For businesses
with physical locations, it‘s a vital mobile search channel.
The stats
•
•
•
94% of smartphone owners look for local info.1
90% take action as a result.2
59% visited a local business as a result of a mobile search.3
Getting found
•
•
•
Maps info is fed by Google+ Local And Google+ Business listings—
strive for a complete listing with special emphasis on hours, photos,
videos, and other locally relevant content.
Citations from 3rd party apps like Yelp boost rank. Be sure your
listing is claimed/created, accurate and not duplicated.
Destination 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 |
SES Berlin
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27. Apple maps
Despite a shaky start, Apple Maps is still native to iOS6 and OS7 which account for the majority
of iOS, iPad, and iPod touch devices.
The stats
•
While Android devices outnumber iOS in circulation and
shipment, iOS users continue to be the most avid consumers of
mobile web and app data.
Getting found
•
•
•
•
Sources results from a proprietary Apple database—core data
providers are Localeze, Acxiom, and Factual
If your listing isn‘t appearing in Apple Maps, be sure to
proactively create listings with these providers.
Reviews and additional content syndicated from Yelp, hence
Yelp optimization boosts Apple Maps visibility.
Apple is committed to improving the Maps experience– as
quality gets better, user uptake will grow.
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28. Yelp
Yelp‘s importance lies in the fact that so many other search apps rely on it to
calculate relevance.
The stats
•
•
Yelp's mobile application 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
Getting 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.
Ratings and reviews also figure heavily in rank
Yelp is a key feeder of results for many big engine
search apps.
| 1-3 Yelp 01.2013 |
SES Berlin
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29. Bing
Native to all Windows Mobile devices as well as Blackberry, Nokia, and Kindle—it‘s footprint is
likely to grow expansively in 2013/14 now that Bing powers Siri.
The stats
•
According to app discovery portal XYO.net, Bing downloads
on iOS and Google devices number roughly 15 million.
Getting found
•
•
Like Google, Bing sources app results from the main index—
mobile optimization 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, plus the integration of
Bing into Siri in iOS7 earn it a certain amount of
consideration and effort from SEOs.
SES Berlin
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30. Siri
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 recognition.
The stats
•
•
•
67% of Siri users actually use the search functionality.1
The most active Siri users are 40-49, the least active 20-29.2
Men are more frequent users of Siri than Women.3
Getting found
•
•
•
Siri often bypasses traditional search results, skipping right to
social results like Yelp—ranking in Siri requires attention to
curating your presence in social spaces.
Siri totally disregards PPC—if your strategy up until now was
heavily paid, you‘ll need to relegate more resources to SEO.
Apple is committed to improving the Siri experience– as
quality gets better, user uptake will grow.
SES Berlin
| 1-3 Besirious.com11.2012 |
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31. YouTube
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.
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
Getting found
•
•
•
Always include keywords in the video file name and video
headline.
Adding a video script in the description as well as
uploading a script for closed captioning, will boost
relevance for voice.
Smartphone and tablet users alike are active video
consumers—YouTube presents a significant opportunity to
create mobile search visibility.
| 1 YouTube 03.2013 | 2 Cisco 02.2012 | 3-4 YouTube 03.2013 |
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32. Google Now
Google Now is Google‘s foray into creating an intelligent personal assistant. Now not only
answers search queries but also makes recommendations and delegates actions to web
services.
Basically, it‘s a search app that eliminates your need to search.
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33. Facebook
Facebook is the most popular mobile app in the US, used actively by 76% of
smartphone owners1—it‘s arguably as important as Google.
The stats
•
•
•
192M Android, 147M iPhone, 48M iPad2
Facebook's mobile monthly active users grew 57
percent from early 2012 to 680 million in 20133
Over 50% of Facebook‘s total traffic is now mobile4
Getting found
•
•
Having a well optimized Facebook presence is essential given
this app‘s importance but it‘s also a boost to your visibility in
other important mobile applications.
Facebook is a results-feeder for many search engines—
high visibility, carefully curated content and positive
endorsements will benefit visibility in big engine apps.
| 1 comScore, Inc. ―2013 Mobile Future in Focus‖ 02.2013 | 2 TechCrunch 01.2013 | 3 Facebook 01.2013 | 4 Facebook
03.2012 |
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34. Foursquare
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.
The stats
•
25 million users, 1 million businesses, 10.4 million monthly
users (various sources).
Getting found
•
•
•
Foursquare content is difficult for bots to crawl—SEO relies on
submitted XML sitemaps to enable search engine visibility.
True visibility within the app is contingent on proximity, ratings
and reviews.
For all its popularity with the digerati, Foursquare has
been slow to gain traction with the general populace.
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35. Apps to discover apps
A significant amount of app discovery happens within mobile apps. Many crawl
app stores to collect new listings but most also allow for submission as well. Rank
is generally calculated on a combination of newness, user ratings, and page views.
Hot App
Finder
Appsmart
Appshopper
Appolicious
Share Apps
148 Apps
SES Berlin
AppGrooves
Best Apps
Market
App for Execs
Best App
Finder
AppStart
App Advice
Fluke
Moms with
Apps
AppShaker
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36. Vertical search, meta search
Music
Business
Fun
Dating
Deals
Hotels
Travel
Recipes
Shopping
AR
QR
Shopping
Tickets
Real Estate
Wikipedia
Creative
SES Berlin
Reviews
Automotive
36

37. About Mobile Marketing
"Nothing gets you closer to your consumer than mobile. And
nothing gets to closer to mobile marketing perfection than Mobile
Marketing: An Hour a Day.‖
— Greg Stuart, CEO, Mobile Marketing Association and Co-Author
of What Sticks
"Elkin and Pasqua expertly detail the mobile landscape, tactics,
and tools available to today's mobile marketer. This is a mustread." — Sara Holoubek, CEO, Luminary Labs
"This book is filled with clear, well thought-out strategic guidance
on all things mobile, with expert perspectives 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 Definitive Guide to RealTime Content Marketing
SES Berlin
More information:
www.mobileanhouraday.com
Buy online:
http://amzn.to/Tx5jVg
37

38. Thx:)
•
•
•
•
@rachelpasqua
rachel@tokenco.com
www.facebook.com/rachelpasqua
www.linkedin.com/in/rachelpasqua