Mobile internet according to Google

”There are over 3 times more mobile users than internet users. There are more mobile phones than TV units, more phones than cars. Mobile devices are more than a part of our live”, says Marc Vanlerberghe from Google.

Mr. Vanlerberghe, global director for mobile products marketing at Google, spoke at the Web Goes Mobile seminar in Grimbergen in Belgium on Dec. 4, 2008 about his company’s ”winning formula” for mobile web.

He shared some insights with the audience:

Complementary nature of internet usage on different devices

Internet usage on mobile devices and desktop computers is complementary to each other and is not a substitute. Mobile usage peaks during morning commute, lunch breaks, TV News and at bedroom-time browsing. Desktop usage is higher between those times:

The more internet-friendly phone, the more people surf

When the browser on a mobile device is a full internet browser, not a ”child” internet like WAP browser, people will surf much more the web on their mobile:

Pricing transparency key to success

Data-rates from the carriers around the world are still not very transparent. If you’re not carefull, you might end up paying a big amount of money for downloading data to your phone.

According to Mr. Vanlerberghe, “flat data rates” are key to success.

Google’s “winning formula” for mobile internet

1. Full browser on your device
2. Flat data rate from the carrier
3. Great User Experience (user interface)

Strategic imperatives for Google to develop for the mobile

1. Bet on the web

Google prefers to develop web applications (mobile internet sites developed specifically for the mobile screen that look and act just like native apps), and is not focusing on native applications for devices. Why? Because there is significant faster time-to-market when developing Web Apps. When you update the application, it is immediately available for all users (no matter the device they use). People don’t have to download a new version of the application. Web Apps give a faster “innovation cycle”.

2. Fast and easy search

Search at users’s fingertips: one click, one button, that is all it should take to start typing a search term. It should be optimised for the mobile screen.

Speed in search is very important. Google has worked with numerous handheld manufactures to have a searchbar embedded into the device software. Also “suggestions” make searching time shorter for users (when you type the first few letters of your search term and Google tries to guess what you want to type).

”Voice search” provides even faster searching by just saying your search term. It was launched last week by Google.

3. Location, location, location

Location based services are very important on mobile devices. Google believes in its maps that allow users to search for restaurants, shops etc. around one’s current location. The company has opened maps to other developers, so their applications can use Google Maps.

Example: at Mobilizy.com people can look at landscapes around through the mobile phone camera. Mobilizy.com will recognise the location (via Google Maps) and tell the user what they are looking at via an “overlay” on the screen.

Here you can watch a video of this feature:

4. Relevant advertising

Google wants users to see ads on mobile devices not as ads, but as “relevant information”. ”Relevance is key to Google,” underlined Mr. Vanlerberghe (seen on the photo).

However, he admitted: “Mobile advertising should be integrated into the overall marketing mix. It’s not big enough yet to look at it separately.”

There are four advertising offers that work in mobile according to Google:

• search: sponsored links next to search results
• maps: look for “pizza [your town]” and you will get a map with all the pizza restaurants in your area
• content network: think of iTunes “recommended songs” or Amazon’s “people who bought this book also bought… “
• video advertising: on YouTube for example

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