SEO in the Age of Apps How has the evolution of the mobile apps changed search? Niche mobile search apps are supplying consumers with options to find what they're looking for faster and more efficiently than ever before and to make the most of this opportunity, marketers needs to rethink their approach and expand their efforts beyond the mobile browser.

1. SEO
in
the
Age
of
Apps
Mobile
search
visibility:
off-­‐the-­‐desktop
Rachel
Pasqua
New
York
|
March
25–28
#SESNY

2. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Search
is
the
#1
mobile
browser
acFvity
Web-­‐based
search
is
a
fundamental
acFvity
and
discovery
channel
for
smartphone
consumers.
Food/Cooking
Fps
11.3%
Business
directories
12.2%
US
Smartphone
Browser
AcFviFes
Online
retail
14.0%
Classifieds
15.1%
comScore
MobiLens,
April
2012
Restaurant
informaFon
15.9%
Maps
16.9%
Bank
accounts
17.0%
Stock/Financial
news
17.2%
Movie
informaFon
17.5%
Photo/video
sharing
service
18.7%
Entertainment
News
25.8%
News
33.0%
Social
networking
34.2%
Search
47.7%

3. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
But
overall,
mobile
users
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.
More
convenient
55%
Faster
48%
85%
of
people
surveyed
by
Compuware
CorporaJon
in
Easier
to
browse
40%
March
2013
said
they
prefer
mobile
apps
over
Be_er
UX
28%
mobile
sites,
according
to
a
consumer
survey
of
3,500.
Easier
to
check
account
27%
Easier
to
shop
26%
3%
11%
1%

4. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
The
most
popular
mobile
apps
are
search-­‐centric
Top
ten
mobile
apps
among
US
smartphone
users,
December
2012
(%
reach)
1.
Facebook
76%
2.
Google
Maps
66%
3.
Google
Play
54%
4.
Google
Search
54%
5.
Gmail
48%
6.
YouTube
46%
7.
Pandora
42%
8.
iTunes
41%
9.
Cooliris
38%
Source:
comScore
Inc.
,
“2013
Mobile
Future
in
10.
Yahoo
Messenger
32%
Focus,
February
25,
2013”

5. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Why
these
trends
ma_er
• As
users
gravitate
towards
apps
for
search
purposes,
content
result
types
diversify—it’s
not
just
about
the
browser
anymore.
• Search
desFnaFons
diversify
as
well—most
brands
must
focus
on
the
major
search
engines
plus
a
variety
of
niche
search
apps.
• The
old
SEO
rules
sFll
apply
but,
new
SEO
best
prac;ces
are
evolving
that
will
govern
the
app
search
ecosystem.

6. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
In
order
to
succeed…
…brands
need
to
understand
the
new
rules
of
the
mobile
search
game,
including:
• The
most
relevant
mobile
search
applicaFons
on
the
market
• Each
app’s
unique
value
proposiFon
• How
to
get
indexed
• How
to
build
rank
and
findability

7. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Big
Engine
Mobile
Search
Apps

8. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
The
Google
Search
App–web
results
Much
like
the
desktop,
Google
sFll
rules
the
roost.
Yet
most
searches
performed
with
the
Google
Mobile
App
lead
to
browser
content.
The
stats
• EsFmated
95.8%
of
the
world’s
mobile
search
market.1
• 57%
of
the
mobile
ad
revenue
in
the
US.2
• 4
out
of
5
most
popular
US
apps
belong
to
Google.3
GeUng
found
• Sources
results
from
the
main
Google
index.
• A
well-­‐opFmized
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
non-­‐tradi;onal
content
channels.
| 1 StatCounter, 12.2012 | 2 eMarketer, 12.2012 | 3 comScore, 02.2013|r

9. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Mobile
SEO:
basics
for
the
browser
Most
big
engine
mobile
apps
source
results
from
their
web
index—hence,
applying
mobile
SEO
best
pracFces
is
essenFal
to
visibility
in
both
web
and
apps.
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
connecFons.
User
Experience
• Ensure
visitors
can
find
the
informaFon
they
are
looking
for
and
interact
with
the
website
suitably.
Content
OpJmizaJon
• OpFmize
important
page
elements
and
content
to
idenFfied
keywords.
Crawlability
Obstacles
• Code
the
website
free
from
Obstacles,
such
as
Flash
and
excessive
or
obtrusive
JavaScript.

10. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
The
Google
Search
App:
Apps
results
The
Google
Search
App
homepage
routes
users
away
from
general,
mobile
web-­‐based
results
with
a
strong
prompt
to
other
Google
Apps.

11. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Google
Voice
Likewise,
the
Google
Search
App
offers
a
prominent
link
to
voice
search
vs.
browser
results.
As
user
uptake
increases,
SEOs
may
feel
more
pressure
to
opFmize
for
natural
language
queries
vs.
keywords.
*SFll
not
quite
semaFc—
Google
Voice
uFlizes
speech-­‐to-­‐text
and
text-­‐
to-­‐speech.
**Available
in
the
Google
Search
App
and
Google
Apps
Browser
App

12. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Google
Goggles
The
Google
Search
Apps
also
present
a
prominent
prompt
to
engage
in
visual
search
via
Google
Goggles.
As
image
recogniFon
becomes
more
refined,
users
are
bound
to
become
more
reliant
on
visual
search
via
mobile
camera.
*SEOs
should
pay
specific
a_enFon
to
image
tagging
with
specific
keywords
and
geo-­‐spaFal
informaFon.
**Available
in
the
Google
Search
App
and
as
a
separate
Google
Goggles
App

13. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
The
Google+
Local
App
Smartphone
search
is
heavily
oriented
towards
acFon-­‐oriented,
real-­‐world
acFvity—Google+
Local
is
a
key
discovery
pathway.
The
stats
• Approx.
74%
of
local
search
volume
is
mobile.1
• Mobile
local
search
volume
will
outpace
desktop
by
2015.2
GeUng
found
• Google
Places
is
the
thing
of
the
past—many
lisFngs
carried
over
to
Google+
but
many
did
not.
• Google+
Local
App
sources
results
from
Google+
Local
web—opFmizaFon
carries
over.
• Business
details—e.g.
phone
number,
store
hours,
payment
opFons—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.
| 1 Chitika 10.2012 | 2 BIA/Kelsey 04.2012 |

14. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
The
Google
Maps
Google
Maps
is
the
acknowledged
leader
in
the
mobile
maps
and
GPS
space.
For
businesses
with
physical
locaFons,
it’s
a
vital
mobile
search
channel.
The
stats
• 94%
of
smartphone
owners
look
for
local
info.1
• 90%
take
acFon
as
a
result.2
• 59%
visited
a
local
business
as
a
result
of
a
mobile
search.3
GeUng
found
• Maps
info
is
fed
by
Google+
Local
lisFngs—strive
for
a
complete
lisFng
with
special
emphasis
on
hours,
photos,
videos,
and
other
locally
relevant
content.
• CitaFons
from
3rd
party
apps
like
Yelp
boost
rank.
• Des;na;on
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 |

15. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Apple
Maps
Despite
a
shaky
start,
Apple
Maps
is
sFll
naFve
to
iOS6
which
accounts
for
over
60%
of
iOS,
iPad,
and
iPod
touch
devices.
The
stats
• While
Android
devices
outnumber
iOS
in
circulaFon
and
shipment,
iOS
users
conFnue
to
be
the
most
avid
consumers
of
mobile
web
and
app
data.
GeUng
found
• Sources
results
from
a
proprietary
Apple
database—
core
data
provider
is
Localeze.
• If
your
lisFng
isn’t
appearing
in
Apple
Maps,
be
sure
to
create
a
free
lisFng
with
Localeze.
Note
that
Localeze
also
offers
a
premium
opFon
which
speeds
submission
for
$297
per
year.
• Reviews
and
addiFonal
content
syndicated
from
Yelp,
hence
Yelp
opFmizaFon
boosts
Apple
Maps
visibility.
• Apple
is
commiKed
to
improving
the
Maps
experience–
as
quality
gets
beKer,
user
uptake
will
grow.

16. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
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
recogniFon.
The
stats
• 67%
of
Siri
users
actually
use
the
search
funcFonality.1
• The
most
acFve
Siri
users
are
40-­‐49,
the
least
acFve
20-­‐29.2
• Men
are
more
frequent
users
of
Siri
than
Women.3
GeUng
found
• Siri
oren
bypasses
tradiFonal
search
results,
skipping
right
to
social
results
like
Yelp—ranking
in
Siri
requires
a_enFon
to
curaFng
your
presence
in
social
spaces.
• Siri
totally
disregards
PPC—if
your
strategy
up
unFl
now
was
heavily
paid,
you’ll
need
to
relegate
more
resources
to
SEO.
• Apple
is
commiKed
to
improving
the
Siri
experience–
as
quality
gets
beKer,
user
uptake
will
grow.
| 1-3 Besirious.com11.2012 |

17. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
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
GeUng
found
• Always
include
keywords
in
the
video
file
name
and
video
headline.
• Adding
a
video
script
in
the
descripFon
as
well
as
uploading
a
script
for
closed
capFoning,
will
boost
relevance
for
voice.
•
Smartphone
and
tablet
users
alike
are
ac;ve
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 |

18. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Bing
NaFve
to
all
Windows
Mobile
devices
as
well
as
Blackberry,
Nokia,
and
Kindle,
Bing
remains
a
smaller
but
sFll
significant
mobile
search
applicaFon.
The
stats
• According
to
app
discovery
portal
XYO.net,
Bing
downloads
on
iOS
and
Google
devices
number
roughly
15
million.
GeUng
found
• Like
Google,
Bing
sources
app
results
from
the
main
index—mobile
opFmizaFon
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,
earn
it
a
certain
amount
of
considera;on
and
effort
from
SEOs.

19. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Yahoo!
and
Yahoo!
Axis
Yahoo’s
share
of
mobile
search
remains
extremely
small—without
OEM
relaFonships,
it
lacks
the
requisite
on-­‐device
foothold
so
crucial
for
success.
*Since
Bing
powers
Yahoo
search,
opFmizaFon
for
Bing
should
have
a
halo
effect
of
the
Yahoo
apps.
**With
Marissa
Mayers
new
commitment
to
building
Yahoo
as
a
mobile
services
company,
there’s
a
chance
Yahoo
may
be
a
dark
horse
in
the
mobile
search
race.

20. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Google
Now
Google
Now
is
Google’s
foray
into
creaFng
an
intelligent
personal
assistant.
Now
not
only
answers
search
queries
but
also
makes
recommendaFons
and
delegates
acFons
to
web
services.
Basically,
it’s
a
search
app
that
eliminates
your
need
to
search.

21. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Niche
and
Social
Mobile
Search
Apps

22. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Facebook
Facebook
is
the
most
popular
mobile
app
in
the
US,
used
acFvely
by
76%
of
smartphone
owners1—it’s
arguably
as
important
as
Google.
The
stats
• 192M
Android,
147M
iPhone,
48M
iPad2
• Facebook's
mobile
monthly
acJve
users
grew
57
percent
from
early
2012
to
680
million
in
20133
• Over
50%
of
Facebook’s
total
traffic
is
now
mobile4
GeUng
found
• Having
a
well
opFmized
Facebook
presence
is
essenFal
given
this
app’s
importance
but
it’s
also
a
boost
to
your
visibility
in
other
important
mobile
applicaFons.
• Facebook
is
a
results-­‐feeder
for
many
search
engines—
high
visibility,
carefully
curated
content
and
posi;ve
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 |

23. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
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
applicaFon
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
GeUng
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.
• RaFngs
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 |

24. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
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).
GeUng
found
• Foursquare
content
is
difficult
for
bots
to
crawl—SEO
relies
on
submi_ed
XML
sitemaps
to
enable
search
engine
visibility.
• True
visibility
within
the
app
is
conFngent
on
proximity,
raFngs
and
reviews.
• For
all
its
popularity
with
the
digera;,
Foursquare
has
been
slow
to
gain
trac;on
with
the
general
populace.

25. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Appsfire…and
other
app
discovery
apps
A
significant
amount
of
mobile
app
discovery
happens
within
mobile
apps.
Many
crawl
app
stores
to
collect
new
lisFngs
but
most
also
allow
for
submission
as
well.
Rank
is
generally
calculated
on
a
combinaFon
of
newness,
user
raFngs,
and
page
views.
Hot
App
Appolicious
AppGrooves
Best
Apps
App
for
Execs
Finder
Market
Appsmart
Share
Apps
Best
App
AppStart
App
Advice
Finder
Appshopper
148
Apps
AppShaker
Fluke
Moms
with
Apps

26. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
VerFcal
Search,
Meta
Search
Music
Business
DaFng
Fun
AR
QR
Shopping
Tickets
Real
Estate
Deals
Hotels
Shopping
Real
Estate
Wikipedia
Travel
Recipes
CreaFve
Reviews
AutomoFve

27. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Izik
A
clean,
aestheFcally
pleasing
iPad
search
applicaFon,
Izik
presents
presents
a
mixture
of
text
and
visual
results.
Izik
sources
results
from
Blekko.

28. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Grokr
*An
intelligent
search
applicaFon
that
uses
locaFon,
Fme
and
preferences
(both
volunteered
and
implied)
over
Fme.
**iPhone
only
at
present.
***Similar
to
Google
Now
in
intent
and
purpose.

29. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
"Nothing
gets
you
closer
to
your
consumer
than
mobile.
And
nothing
gets
to
closer
to
mobile
markeFng
perfecFon
than
Mobile
Marke;ng:
An
Hour
a
Day.”
—
Greg
Stuart,
CEO,
Mobile
MarkeFng
AssociaFon
and
Co-­‐
Author
of
What
SFcks
"Elkin
and
Pasqua
expertly
detail
the
mobile
landscape,
tacFcs,
and
tools
available
to
today's
mobile
marketer.
This
is
a
must-­‐read."
—
Sara
Holoubek,
CEO,
Luminary
Labs
"This
book
is
filled
with
clear,
well
thought-­‐out
strategic
guidance
on
all
things
mobile,
with
expert
perspecFves
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
Defini;ve
Guide
to
Real-­‐Time
Content
Marke;ng
More
informaFon:
www.mobileanhouraday.com
Buy
online:
h_p://amzn.to/Tx5jVg

30. New
York|
March
25–28,
2013
|
#SESNY
Thank
you!
• @rachelpasqua
• rp@rachelpasqua.com
• www.facebook.com/rachelpasqua
• www.linkedin.com/in/rachelpasqua