Mobile Search Engine Landscape
June 29th 2009 4:15 PM
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The mobile communications market continues to experience explosive growth during this slow economy. As more people use mobile phones to explore websites, an industry of mobile search engines has emerged. They are still in their infancy, similar to the web search market a decade ago. Being ahead of the curve by having a website optimized for mobile search today will pay dividends in the future. Just as important, is optimizing your mobile site for such search engines.
Here is an overview of the most important search engines in the Mobile Search Engine Landscape to keep an eye on:
Taptu
Taptu’s mobile search was launched in October 2007 and has rapidly grown since in audience and buzz since. It is unique in the way it goes about search, and bills itself as ‘The Alternative Search Machine.’ It now is used for more than 1 million searches each day.
Its uniqueness lies in what it calls social assisted search which combines quantifiable data with qualitative information such as social buzz, editorial review, and human voting. They have also recently launched a solid iPhone application. It searches for web, video, music, and images.
If you have a mobile site, I would submit your website to Taptu.
Yahoo oneSearch
Yahoo’s oneSearch for mobile launched in 2006 and has gained significant market share since. They have also launched an iPhone application for their mobile search. It was offered as the first real alternative to Google mobile, and has an attractive interface with useful features. It also provides a mobile portal for services like mail, messenger, news, and sports.
You should submit your website to Yahoo! One if you have not done so already.
Google Mobile was the first major player in the market and still is on top. Mobile search is just one component of the way they have revolutionized the mobile market. It generates the most mobile searches, and just like Google’s web search, should be high on your priority list. Here is an official guide on how to Submit Your Mobile Site To Google.
Bing Mobile
Bing is Microsoft’s newly branded search engine which also includes a mobile version. It will be interesting to see the developments in the near future as they have been pushing hard to gain more market share in the search space, and are succeeding so far.
Bing mobile lets you search websites as well as get directions, weather, and maps specific to your location. They also offer formatting capabilities of the search results.
Do you have a mobile website, or use a mobile search engine? Which one is your favorite, and why? Please share your feedback and insight below.
