Mobile Search, a Missed Opportunity for SMEs
With Internet use on smartphones set to overtake desktop browsing by early 2013, it is surprising that businesses—big and small—are not taking full advantage of mobile search.
A recent study by telecommunications giant T-Mobile indicates that 46 percent of local businesses are not visible when users search via smartphones. For those local businesses that took the step to improve visibility for smartphones saw the benefits, with 44 percent experiencing more customer inquiries.
With the time for mobile revolution apparently being now, here are some techniques to help SMEs take advantage of mobile search and get ahead of their competitors.
Local Listings
Both Google and Bing provide free local listings in Google+ Local and Bing for Business. Setting up and completing these local profiles will enhance your company’s visibility within the SERPs for certain local keywords.
Although this seems obvious to the majority of online marketers, only 16 percent of local businesses had registered their business on Google+ Local (formally Google Places).
Local profiles are not restricted to Google+ Local or Bing for Businesses. There are plenty of other local profiles that SMEs should be adding their business to, including:
- Yelp
- Brownbook
- Hotfrog
- Crunchbase
When creating local profiles, it is imperative that you use the same information on all websites. This includes supplying the same address and phone number across the board.
Using