Back in November we launched GoMo to help businesses “Go Mobile” and easily create a mobile optimized website. GoMo has helped thousands of businesses improve their mobile experience and today we’re excited to introduce a new initiative: GoRo.

Every day, dozens of Americans use rotary phones, but 100% of these potential customers have experienced trouble loading a business’ websites on their device.1 Despite this, a recent study predicted that rotary phone usage is expected to surpass smartphone usage by 2015.2

Go Rotary, or GoRo, is a new initiative by Google where you’ll find resources you need to learn about what makes a good rotary site, why optimizing for rotary matters and the latest data to help you prepare for the return of rotary.

This week, we’ll be hosting a webinar “Is Your Business Ready for the Return of Rotary?” and posting daily rotary tips and case studies to show how businesses across the country have already optimized their websites.

In a recent interview, industry expert Roger Thornhill noted: “Technology is cyclical. In a few years touch screens will be replaced by finger wheels and smartphones will become a way of the past.” It’s time to make sure your website it ready; it’s time to GoRo!

Posted by David Kaufman, Rotary & Morse Code Marketing Manager

1Haines-Fisch Research Institute. “Rotary Phones and the Web”, March 2012.
2Stein Insight Group. “Rotary Phone Engagement Study”, February 2012.

For developers who want to run ads in iOS versions of their apps, we are releasing an update to our Google AdMob Ads SDK.  This new version of the SDK is consistent with Apple’s reported decision regarding developer usage of the universal device identifier (UDID).  Our goal is to help all developers and publishers continue to reach users on mobile, grow their businesses and make money, in accordance with the policies of the mobile platforms on which they build.

Developers and publishers building their businesses on the iOS platform can download the new SDK here.  Stay tuned for more new SDK features and updates in the coming weeks.

Posted By: Mark Schaaf, Google Mobile Ads

Mobile devices are mainstream, 50% of consumers in the US have them.1 But many advertisers and agencies are just starting to tap into the possibilities of rich media ads on mobile and tablet devices. We created our Rich Media Designs for Mobile with them in mind. These ad templates empower creatives to build beautiful ads using existing assets (photos, logos, etc.) while removing the technical complexity of mobile rich media.

We are proud to have our hard work recognized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). They recently named Google’s Rich Media Designs for Mobile a winning Mobile Rising Stars ad concept in their inaugural IAB Mobile Rising Stars competition. This makes Google’s mobile rich media products one of the first-ever mobile ad formats endorsed by the IAB.



"The judging panel, consisting of over three dozen agency mobile experts from the creative, strategy, ad ops, and media ranks, were a tough crowd," said Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives, IAB. "They wanted formats that were elegantly simple in design, but also featured robust capabilities. Those two qualities rarely co-exist. The judges found them together, though, in Google’s Rich Media Designs for Mobile and scored their ballots accordingly.”



All signs point to the explosive growth in mobile continuing well past 2012.  As the ecosystem matures, we are determined to continue building the tools advertisers need to capture the full strength of the mobile opportunity with ease.  Stay tuned to the Google Mobile Ads Blog, more to come.

Posted by Joseph Corral, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Ads

Source (1):  Pew Internet, March 2012

As part of our ongoing GoMo initiative, last week we connected with nearly 500 digital advertisers in a live webinar to share tips and tools on how to optimize advertiser websites for mobile.  This Thursday, we’ll be hosting a second webinar, GoMo for Publishers:  Mobilize Your Site and Maximize Your Ad Revenue, with an exclusive focus on the needs of online publishers.

Mobile web consumption is exploding.  For many publishers, mobile traffic represents more than 30% of total site visits, and the trends continue to point upward.  Despite this, 80% of online publishers don’t have a mobile-optimized website, and they risk losing their fastest-growing audience.  61% of consumers would likely never return to a site with a poor mobile experience.1  That’s why we recently launched GoMo for Publishers, to provide publishers with new tools to start optimizing for mobile.

Join Google on Thursday, March 22nd at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET, to discuss why it’s imperative to build for mobile and delight your mobile users  We’ll show you all the tools you need to get you ready to go mobile. Sign up today and log on to learn:

1. Why go mobile? Your users have gone mobile in a big way, hear why you must follow suit.
2. 10 tips for building mobile sites   Mobile is different.  Learn 10 practical tips for building engaging, uniquely mobile experiences.
3. Best practices in action Hear from web publisher FindTheBest about the success they have seen from going mobile. 
4. How to get started Google is here to help. Learn about tools we’ve created to get you started on the path to delighting your users and maximizing your mobile revenue.

Sign up for the webinar today.  We look forward to seeing you on March 22th!

Posted by Joseph Corral, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Ads
Source (1): Compuware, “why the mobile web is disappointing end-users.” March 2011

It’s been four months since Google and its technology partners DudaMobile and Mobify provided over 500 Mobile, AL small businesses with free mobile-friendly sites.  The event was part of Google’s GoMo initiative, and provided small business owners with an opportunity to build sites made for the small screen complete with mobile-friendly features like click-to-call and click-to-map.  The Google team followed up with some of the business owners to see how the new mobile-friendly sites have helped their businesses grow.  Simply put, mobile-friendly sites drive results.  Check out how mobile-friendly sites helped to improve sales, site traffic and calls for five small businesses: Distinguished Young Women, Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, Spring Hill Medical Center, USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park and Knotty N Nice.  

Stephanie Bradford, Communications Director for Distinguished Young Women, the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls, commented on how the new mobile-friendly site is helping to raise nationwide recognition, “The stats we have seen further confirm the effectiveness of our new mobile site in reaching and engaging our target audience. With more than 85% of visits to the site from new visitors, we are confident that the mobile site is allowing us to realize greater awareness across the country. As we work to encourage participation in the Distinguished Young Women program, our mobile site is allowing us to connect with our potential participants, teenage girls, in a way they are familiar with and have come to expect from companies and organizations to which they are loyal.”

Kirsten Conley, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, talked about how she’s changing her marketing mix, “We're able to give our guests and potential guests the information that they're looking for on the go.  We were stunned by the sheer volume of phone calls that came from the mobile-friendly site and reevaluated our phone system to keep up with the increase in incoming calls.  Lastly, we've begun placing more mobile advertisements as part of our marketing mix.”  The mobile-friendly site has brought 40% more calls and 20% more sales and site visits.  


Glenn Geiger of Spring Hill Medical Center, a full-service hospital, had this to say about his GoMo experience, “Once the site was running, the reports from DudaMobile were very eye opening.  The best thing was the tracking of actual phone calls placed to our hospital. Something we have never been able to track was delivered to us instantly, on a silver platter.”  Overall, calls to Spring Hill have increased by 80% since optimizing the site for mobile devices, with visits to the site and hospital increasing by 20%.

Karen Conner, Director of Sales & Marketing for the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, encourages other business owners to get started on building their sites if they haven’t already, “We are a military attraction and our potential visitors are most interested in just a few things, mostly admission prices and directions.  The new mobile-friendly site gives us that edge by making our information right at their fingertips.  No more zooming in to find the information and then potentially losing the customer due to their frustration.”  Conner said that sales, calls and site visits have increased by 20% since creating the mobile-friendly site.


Janna Peterson of Knotty N Nice, an informational site about natural styles for African Hair,
said that her mobile site has helped increase site traffic by 200%, “The business is growing and the mobile website would be to thank for that.  It's easier for people to access my site now and of course we have more traffic now.”  


Each site owner will continue to track their site’s performance by using Google Analytics or DudaMobile’s site analytics reports.   

Success stories like these exemplify how mobile-friendly sites improve sales and traffic for all businesses, no matter the size or industry.  

Let us know your mobile-friendly site success stories in the comments.  Visit howtogomo.com to mobilize your site today!

Posted by: Suzanne Mumford, Google Mobile Ads Marketing and Jessica Sapick, Google Small Business Strategy

Join Google for tomorrow’s webinar, GoMo: Mobilize Your Site and Maximize your Advertising and learn 3 ways to make the most of mobile.

1. Mobilize your site.

   Understand what it means, learn the benefits and get started with GoMo.

2. Maximize your mobile ads.

   Hear why it’s important and learn practical how-to’s for making the most                  

   of your mobile investment.

3. Track, measure and iterate.

   Get tips and see helpful tools you can use today.

On March 15th at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET, Suzanne Mumford, Product Marketing Manager, will be presenting 3 ways to make the most of mobile for businesses, agencies and marketers.

To register, please visit this link: http://goo.gl/HBNKa

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Posted by Suzanne Mumford, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Ads

Do you know what your website looks like on a mobile phone? Just because you can see your site on a smartphone doesn't mean that it’s mobile-friendly. So, what is a mobile-friendly site? It’s a website designed specifically for mobile users and mobile devices. It’s fast to load and easy to use—no scrolling or zooming required.

The mobile opportunity is growing. Recent research [Ipsos study] suggests that smartphone ownership is quickly on the rise in the UK, jumping from 30% in Jan-Feb 2011 to 45% in Sept-Oct 2011. And those smartphone owners use their devices to search for information. Google mobile searches grew 400% in the last two years. Yet many British businesses still do not have a mobile website.

As 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site that they had trouble accessing from their phone and 40% of consumers would go to a competitor’s site, businesses need to get mobile in order not to miss out on customers who specifically search for their products or services.

The most important thing you can do to grow your business using the mobile web is to create a mobile-friendly website.  So today we’re launching an initiative called GetMo that provides tools, information and resources to help UK businesses “Get Mobile”

So, are you ready to GetMo?  Visit howtogetmo.com where you’ll find the resources you need to learn about what makes a good mobile site and how to start building one.

Here’s what you’ll find at howtogetmo.com:

• See what your customers see.  Enter a website address into the GetMoMeter and see what your site looks like on a mobile phone.  The GetMoMeter will analyse your site and give you customised recommendations on how to make your site more mobile-friendly.  You can even download a free customised report on how to better serve your customers mobile experience!

• Learn about why mobile matters:  Great infographics and the latest data will help you learn more about mobile trends and why mobile-friendly sites really matter.

• Get inspired by great examples: Look at the mobile sites of UK businesses who are doing it well and learn how to make your site better with our ten mobile site best practices.

• Find a mobile site builder who can help: Check out our list of mobile site developers who can help you build your mobile website.

Posted by: Rich Pleeth, Product Marketing Manager

Did you know: 8 in 10 consumers instantly abandon a mobile site if the experience isn’t up to par?1  Mobile consumers have high expectations from businesses today.  With Google mobile searches growing 400% in the last two years, it’s increasingly important for businesses to satisfy the needs of a mobile user by building a mobile-friendly site.  A great mobile site will help your business by allowing people visiting your website on mobile devices to easily complete what they intend to do, such as making a purchase or contacting you.

Join Google as we take the mobile conversation to a new level and connect the impact of your mobile site to your mobile advertising.  We’ll discuss the next steps that you can take to implement a mobile strategy for your business. Sign up today and learn 3 ways to make the most of mobile.

1. Mobilize your site.
Understand what it means, learn the benefits and get started with GoMo.
2. Maximize your mobile ads.     
Hear why it’s important and learn practical how-to’s for making the most of your mobile  
investment.
3. Track, measure and iterate.
Get tips and see helpful tools you can use today.
             

On Thursday, March 15th at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET, Suzanne Mumford, Product Marketing Manager, will be presenting 3 ways to make the most of mobile for businesses, agencies and marketers.

Sign up for our webinar today. To register, please visit this link: http://goo.gl/CDM9F

We look forward to seeing you on March 15th!

Posted by Suzanne Mumford, Product Marketing Manager, Google Mobile Ads

Source (1) Limelight Networks, Inc. 2011

Consumers are mobile. New research we released this week demonstrates that smartphone ownership is on the rise and these consumers are searching, taking local action and purchasing. Mobile devices are transforming how consumers connect and live their lives. Download our new smartphone research here.

Businesses are going mobile. Last week we launched 26 new mobile websites for some of the Barcelona’s most famous attractions, restaurants, nightclubs and businesses as part of our Barcelona Go Mobile initiative to enable businesses to better engage with their mobile customers.  This week we challenged businesses to fall in love with mobile in 2012. The companies who do will be best positioned to take advantage of the new opportunities that mobile creates.

Marketers are jumping into mobile. The consumers they want to engage are mobile and the opportunities are huge. They are no longer asking us why do I need to go mobile. Now they are asking how do I go mobile? How can my brand find success in the mobile space? How can I maximize the relationship with my customers on mobile?

The answer is to truly operationalize mobile. Marketers need to not only jump into mobile, they need to fall in love with mobile. They need to align their organization for mobile success, create a mobile website for their business.

This week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain my colleague Jason Spero and I spoke to a packed audience of marketers about how to go mobile in 2012. For the many people who were not able to join us, we wanted to share a video of our presentation.



Posted by Rikard Steiber, Global Marketing Director, Mobile & Social Advertising