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Mobile to drive revenue growth in local search space: Localeze

Mobile is crucial for small businesses trying to reach their local consumers.

According to David Dague, vice president of marketing at Localeze, Vienna, VA, businesses need to make sure their local listings are mobile-search ready. Mobile Marketer's Giselle Abramovich interviewed Mr. Dague; here is what he had to say:

What are the primary factors driving the smartphone market?
There are two primary factors driving adoption in the smartphone market: handset cost and data-plan cost.

The bleak economic environment has given way to price slashing measures and recession -- conscious cell phone carriers are offering unlimited data packages and smartphones on the cheap -- making smartphones the leading mobile product.

What is the state of mobile search?
With over half of all mobile users saying they plan to buy a smartphone within the next two years, soon up to 191 million on-the-go U.S. consumers could be searching for local products and services through an Internet-ready mobile device.

These statistics are likely to make mobile a primary driver of revenue growth in the local search space for 2009 and it's certainly the market's most rapidly burgeoning advertising medium.

As more mobile applications and devices launch, how can businesses ensure their local listings are accurate and descriptive and included in mobile search results?
Knowing how to get online business content extensively distributed across the exponentially growing number of mobile local search applications can make a big difference in being found by on-the-go searchers.

Businesses should partner with a content provider that knows how to optimize, organize and distribute local listings information to a wide reaching network of mobile local search engines and applications.

How can business optimize their mobile content (including product inventory, coupons, etc)?
Content distribution partners must make it easy for businesses to add, update and enhance their local listings with unique, keyword-rich information that's important to mobile users.

This could include business specialties such as emergency towing, or amenities like hot tubs or valet services, and payment methods accepted or even languages spoken at a local repair shop.

In addition, selecting a partner that geo-codes business listings for mobile search applications is also important so the distance from the mobile searcher can be accurately determined.

There is a lot of content on the mobile Web...but is it searchable?
The mobile market is very fragmented among the many different applications, devices and networks.

As there is no comprehensive search feature for all the different applications, it is important for businesses to work with a content provider that has the widest access to all the providers.

Where is this space headed?
The mobile applications market is just on the cusp of explosive growth.

With Apple's successful iPhone App Store being followed by the recently launched BlackBerry App World and the forthcoming Windows Marketplace for Mobile, mobile search and browsing is still in its infancy.

Businesses must be diligent about ensuring their content is available on all devices and all applications -- a job that will just get harder as the market explodes.

Combing through all of the relevant major and niche mobile local search sites submitting your business' listing information is an endless task -- partner with a provider that will ensure you have premier mobile findability.