Application Search

Downloadable applications are becoming much more popular and, in some instances, are replacing mobile search engines. Search applications allow users to submit a query just like in a mobile search engine, but they usually focus on a specific type of product or service and provide some added value over the results in a traditional search engine. Table 10.1 shows some examples of top mobile search applications.

If there are mobile search applications related to your industry, product, or service, it is important for your website or company listing to rank well in searches within those mobile applications. Frequently, top mobile search applications have promotional websites where you can get insight into how the application receives and ranks the results it provides. In some cases, the owner of the application will have created a unique index, such as the SuperPages mobile application or the Flickr mobile application. In other cases, such as UrbanSpoon, the results are a combination of search data from Yelp, Yahoo!, and the site submission on their own website.

When you have determined how to get into the search application result, it is important to determine what makes some results rank higher or lower than other results. Because applications are meant to be interactive and personal, rankings are frequently highly weighted on user ratings and reviews, as well as popularity. Each time you make a change to your mobile website or even a mobile landing page, check whether and how it has affected your rankings in the mobile search applications for your niche.

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