MSearchGroove

Kris Kolodziej

The key to mobile search is the emphasis on location for content optimization. When the location is known (via inclusion of a city, etc., in the query, or via GPS or Wi-Fi), search results can be filtered with respect to proximity, making them more relevant.Location-based search for mobile users has broad implications for content providers and advertisers. Currently, only about 5% of small and midsize businesses are using paid search, according to consulting firm, The Kelsey Group. However, the local advertising market is expected to reach $5.1 billion in the U.S. by 2009, and The Kelsey Group sees local search advertising accounting for about two-thirds of that total. Geo-targeting users at a zip code- or even better, a block-level can be a boon to local advertisers. Neighborhood profiles could be used by marketers as a basis for targeting ads.

Mobile carriers are already harnessing the power of location-based services (LBS) and multi-function handsets. LBS developments are on the cusp of serious rollouts. Subscribers of location services will grow from 10.3 million in 2006 to 309.7 million by 2011 in the U.S., predicts ABI Research. inCodewireless.com surmises that LBS and GPS will become mainstream before the year is out. The incorporation of social networking applications - like Sprint’s Loopt - will increase. Mobile advertising will climb ever higher as the value of LBS is realized in the ability to offer interactive mobile advertising via LBS-enabled applications and social networks.

Wireless location is now available and accessible to the larger developer community. A location enabler vendor makes information about a user’s physical location available to requesting entities. Now, it isn’t that the user’s physical coordinates are disclosed; that part is hidden. Something more intelligent and contributory to overall end-to-end mobile local search processing is provided, either on request, or at specified intervals. Thus the enabler allows an application to obtain and use location information without having to interact with the complexities of the low-level elements in the network providing the data (e.g. positioning servers).

A wide range of positioning methods has emerged (A-GPS/GPS, cellular, Wi-Fi, TV-GPS, etc.), each with varying levels of positioning accuracy. Which method to use for which application is determined by the required positioning accuracy, the need for indoor versus outdoor coverage, the need for entry detection of a user in a given area, the feasibility of involving the user device itself in the positioning calculation, etc. Accuracy advancements in positioning-based location services deliver further value to brands targeting existing and potential customers in innovative ways. As the technology edges toward delivering optimum performance in each environment, the greater the revenues that will come from the application (i.e. product comparison applications).

Working as an enabler for value-added services in the industry, LBS technology (offering location-sensitive information) isn’t being offered as a stand-alone service. Location is a key enabler driving the usage rate of many value-added applications, but not a significant revenue driver on its own. Proximity to, for example, retail, is a big factor for mobile local search, but targeting based on the demographics of a given geographic area is also essential.

Mobile search is becoming more and more personalized, working toward delivering content -including ads -based on the user’s usage patterns, preferences, location, and activity. A user’s present activity can be deferred from, for example, a user’s location and destination.

• Posted in
• Mobile Search, Local Search

0 comments

share

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

permalink