Consistency in the HTML specification helped webmasters build sites that anyone with a browser could visit. When Microsoft began playing around with non-standard ways of handling HTML in its Internet Explorer browser, the Internet suffered a bit as developers were forced to build sites to display themselves one way for IE, and a different way for every other browser.

Microsoft cleaned up its act over the years, with IE 8 being as close to hewing to universal specifications on handling HTML and CSS. But the annoyances of several years of creating workarounds to cater to Microsoft likely played a role in the building of a mobile web specification by the W3C.

“The recommendations refer to delivered content and not to the processes by which it is created, nor to the devices or user agents to which it is delivered,” said the opening of this latest best practices document. “It is primarily directed at creators, maintainers and operators of Web sites.”

As more webmasters seek out mobile web users, especially in the competitive market for local business customers, they will want to embrace such consistency. No one wants to put a barrier in front of a potential customer.

To keep the mobile web open and inviting, W3C suggested minimal navigation for the top of pages, and consistent navigation methods throughout mobile sites. Since many webmasters practice SEO and redirection of links, W3C said using 3xx HTTP codes instead of markup to redirect pages should be the method here.

Skip the frames and the tables for organizing mobile content too. And when there is a non-text element on a page, a text equivalent should be provided too.

Reaching the growing number of web-capable mobile devices promises a long-term payoff. There is room for first-movers to seize a place on the mobile web with their content, where a similar opportunity may not exist on the conventional PC. Develop to reach as many mobile users as possible, for a chance at achieving this.

Here is a recap of the SES Chicago posts in case you missed any:

• Meet the Web Analytics Players
• Igniting Viral Campaigns
• Keynote Speech – Rodney Dangerfield School of Search Marketing
• Keynote – Seth Godin & 14 Trends to Avoid a Meatball Sundae
• Big Site, Big Search
• Actionable Social Media
• Usability and SEO
• Are You Ignoring the Power of Images?
• Snowy & Festive at SES Chicago
• SEO and Development – Get It Together
• Personalization, User Data & Search
• Podcast and Audio Search
• Strolling the Exhibit Floor at SES Chicago
• Images and Search Engines
• Managing PPC For Multiple Clients
• So You Want to Be A Search Marketer?
• Landing Page Optimization Clinic
• Kevin Ryan Unplugged
• Do Your Keywords Account for Local Vernacular?

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iCrossing Acquires Web Development Agency

Many of the details remain undisclosed, but it’s a good bet that Proxicom had a high price tag – this Web development agency has worked with the likes of Toyota, DuPont, and Chevron.  Then again, so has iCrossing – the two companies seem well suited to each other.

“iCrossing’s DNA is in search, which represents consumer interest and intent,” explained Herzog in a press release.  “Proxicom’s DNA is in driving superior brand and user experiences.  Together, we are poised to define the next generation of digital marketing by creating experiences – whether they are through the Web, mobile or emerging channels – that are driven by the consumer perspective.”

Indeed, this acquisition has made iCrossing the world’s largest digital marketing agency; it’s probably poised to do anything it wants.  And here’s where an interesting bit of speculation comes in.  Janet Driscoll Miller writes, “I personally expect an IPO.  Because the main funders behind this acquisition are venture capitalists, they’ll want to recognize a return on investment as soon as they can.  And I also expect that the founders of iCrossing will want to cash in as well as the SEM market not unlike the web design and development market, becomes more commoditized over time.”

That makes sense, and there’s also evidence to support Miller’s opinion – in the release, Proxicom’s COO emphasized his desire to “raise the ROI bar even higher.”

It is a line of thinking that necessitates doing what is optimal: when to balance user experience with "bot experience" to create a site that will harvest any legitimate traffic without detriment to conversions, or without venturing into areas beyond the given risk threshhold for the project.

Technology and marketing were formerly unique disciplines with very different types of people. SEO’s are the folks in between. In my mind, the reason SEO goes well beyond just search marketing into most areas of business is because search engine marketing IMPACTS many of the decisions that are made in a business. Marketing, infrastructure, customer relations, analytics, accounting, human resources can all directly impact search marketing and vice versa. SEO has become more and more of a strategic vision as top rankings become more competitive, and more valuable. SEO is in large part the communication gap between marketing and IT, combined with top level executive strategy (The only good SEO’s that leave the field at this point, do so to become CEO’s – visual illustration).

This is intended to be an "advanced beginner’s guide" – which is a bit of a paradox, but the idea is that even the most proficient of SEO’s often revisit the basics, and that execution on simple solutions can be very elegant and effective. It will also help to cover many of the things that all too often get overlooked. Executing on basics is the most advanced play in the search engine marketing game. A little secret I’ll let you in on – Even the "SEO Pros" go back to basics – content and links. They’re only pros because these two critical elements have become second nature, and nearly every waking thought is based around how to create mo’ betta content, or get some new links in creative ways.

Even if you understand every single technique available – no matter what play you call – you still have to block and tackle to reach the endzone and score your top rankings. The most proficient SEO’s realize that search ranking, branding, marketing strategy, conversions, and postive conversations consist of two major elements – CONTENT and LINKS.

Content

User Experience and content organization

The user experience should be concise, and simple. Simple is elegant. You can have multitudes of functionality locked within a extremely simple streamlined interface. Read Don’t make me think, and the Big Red Fez.

Key tips with site architecture:

1. User architecture and bot architecture don’t need to be identical. A bot will determine the heirarchy of a site through it’s link structure. A user will determine the heirarchy of a site through the placement of the main navigational elements.

2. Search engines are becoming extremely proficient at incorporating semantics into link structure. Keeping a site sectioned into themes is extremely important. The importance of internal anchor text to this factor is rarely over-rated.

3. Internal search is incredible for gathering data on your site.

Resources for understanding information architecture, and balancing the user experience with the bot experience:

• User expectations for common ecommerce elements
• Search engine theme pyramids

Content Creation

Keyword based content

Creating content specifically to rank for keywords. This is a borderline practice, depending on the intelligence level of the content. A thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters could lookup and change content based on a set of words.

User generated content

The beauty of web 2.0 – people decide to connect together to do something. Whether it’s worthwhile or otherwise, two heads are very often better than one, and conversation is the backbone of the web.

How to content

Everyone loves to know how to do something. I really wish I could download things like "how to do your own plumbing", and be able to figure it out. Someday, perhaps a well optimized and informative video will be able to do that.**

**after publishing Rob pointed me to these installation resources on Vintage Bath and Tub (who have some cool clawfoot tubs) – great examples of howto content

Blog content

Write what you know. Talk about a relevant, cohesive topic.

Linkbait content

Make a GREAT idea even better. Be remarkable.

Commodity content

Sometimes cheap content is better than no content. Don’t be lazy.

Content Resources:

• 10 Web Tools to Help Generate Blog Content Ideas
• Adding content pages – 78 possible topics – Jim
• Can your content pass a hand check – Martinibuster_
• Content Planning for Search Engine Optimization – SEO by the SEA
• Content to create links – SEW
• Read Copyblogger through twice
• Directory of Government RSS Feeds _ Threadwatch.org
• Fifty (50!) Tools which can help you in Writing – lifehack.org
• Search’s Long Tail
• The Long Tail_ SEO Tips
• When Unique Content Is Not “Unique” – Sugarrae
• Finding Hidden Content – Content idea – RogerD’s notebook
• Editing Press Releases
• Writers’ Block_ Breaking Out With Ten Simple Ideas

WebmasterWorld Supporter’s forum:

• 63 Questions to Ask Prior to Building a Content Site
• Content creation What do you know about writing for the web
• Providing Decent Content vs Providing Crap Content

Content Structure:

Duplicate content thinking

LINKS

The "Bot Experience"

"Create a site with your users in mind" has become an oft-quoted mantra of search engine representives when asked about how to rank better in search engines. While the logic is sound, it is also somewhat incomplete. The "experience" that a bot has when visiting your site will often determine the initial experience that a user has with your site as well. Controlling where the bot enters the site, and how the bot "sees" the site is of paramount importance to determining how users will find and navigate through your site.

Information architecture is one of the most overlooked areas of good search marketing. Mainly because it is one of the most difficult areas to retrofit on a site, and it’s extremely difficult for consultants to demonstrate the value to justify the workload needed to overhaul a site.

Link Development

Old is good – Old sites are trusted. Trustrank is a part of the game, and if you don’t believe it you’ve been sleeping. There is no sandbox, there is only the trustbox, and the trustbox emphasizes old, aged links that are on trusted domains that are relevant to your targeted query.

Link equity is the new brand building. Perhaps I’m a bit wrong – link equity, strategy, and development is the new brand building. Brand building and link building should coexist peacefully. Those folks out there that you’re paying $10 – $20 per hour for link building, are building your brand for the future. Why? because a brand is only a google search away these days. If I want to know how strong McDonald’s brand is – I do a google search. Perhaps I’m ahead of the curve, but even Joe sixpack isn’t that far behind me. He knows that google is a verb, and he’ll soon figure out how to change his default search application from windows live to yahoo or google. New brands don’t underestimate the intelligence of their consumers. Default search doens’t "WOW" anyone. Relevance, and information quality does.

Types of links and how to get them. Learn what they are, and how they apply to you. 12 types of links and how to get them.

Article link development

Write articles – submit to various sites based on automation for quantity or personal contacts for quality.

Press link development

Write articles – see above.

Partner link development

Network at conferences, through IM, or email, and make nice with friends.

Affiliate link development

Start an affiliate program with a service that is in the know. Redirect appropriate pages.

Paid link development

Buy text links on relevant sites

Viral link development

This one is probably among the toughest because it is becoming increasingly difficult to do something remarkable that people talk about.

Try learning what linkbaiting means.

Directory link development

Proceed with caution – you don’t need many.

Reciprocal link development

See above.

Link Development Resources:

• Graywolf’s Linkbuilding roundup on TW
• 10 steps to getting links to your site from M$ employee
• 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity in 2006 _ SEO Book.com
• 131 (Legitimate) Link Building Strategies
• A Few Quick Link Building Tips – Jason Hendricks
• Advice_ Increase Email Response Rate _ Justilien.com
• All links are paid – More No-Follow Fallout
• Are You Guilty of Stinkin’ Linkin’ Thinkin’_
• 7 Even More Effective Ways to Build Links SEO Black Hat
• Building an outsourced team of link builders
• Buying Links – O’Reilly In Debate Over Link Selling
• CSS Redesign list – How-to increase your links through a redesign
• Delegating Link Development_ Outsource or In-house_
• Determining the Value of Links from Link Renting
• Does Your Site Have Link Building Potential
• Doing SEO in a Vacuum – natural link development
• Email is Still the Key to a Successful Link Building Campaign – seomoz
• Filthy Linking Rich by Mike Grehan
• Finding Most Relevant Powerful Page for Link from Jim
• Getting Links 1 of 5 – Neil ACSEO
• Google s New Link Filter
• How to Request Links From Picky Sites – mm – seomoz
• Increase Your Link Request Conversion – Don’t Do This!
• Interview of Patrick Gavin
• Jump-start Your Link Building (without Getting Sandboxed) by Andy Hagans
• Link Building 101 – SEW
• Link Building for Blogs Online Marketing Blog
• Link Building Guide – jim westergren
• Link Building Services – How much $$ per link_
• Link Building Strategies – Who To Link To
• Link Building Wiki – Main – Link Building Wiki
• link building with affiliate programs — does it work_
• Link Building with Landing Pages_ a basic guide
• Link Popularity and Link Building Basics-Linking101.com
• LinkHounds – Great Link Building Tips & Link Popularity Tools
• Linking Strategies that work in 2005
• Linking Strategies, items 1 to 50
• List of Searches for Link-Popularity Building
• Natural Backlinks – Getting backlinks without even asking. – Jim Boykin
• Natural link paterns – How “Internet Phenomenon” Gain Links Over Time
• Recommendations on Content to Attract Links
  Secrets from Debra M
• SEOmoz – Unconventional Link-Building Ideas
• SEOmoz Blog _ 5 Rare & Valuable Link BuildingTactics
• SEOmoz Blog _ Long List of Link Searches
• SEOmoz Blog _ What a Good Link Request E-Mail Looks Like
• Seth’s Blog_ What makes an idea viral_
• The Link Building Knowledge Base by Andy Hagans @ www.linkbuilding.info
• Threads of the Web – Linking for Success
• Threadwatch to Build Killer Link Analysis Tool

Linkbaiting

• 21 KEYS TO LINK BAIT SUCCESS
• Blogger Relations 101 – Lee – How to pitch a blogger
• How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic The Ultimate Guide
• I Just Hired A Billion Linkbuilders _ Scoreboard
• Link Bait – jim westergren
• Linkbaiting or Link Baiting Strategies – Aaron Wall
• Linkbaiting or Link Baiting
• Linking The Unlinkable_ When Digg Won’t Work
• Viral Marketing With Blogs _ Copyblogger
• What is Linkbait

Webmasterworld Link Development Threads

• Bad Webmaster – No Donut for You!
• Basic Link Dev Strategies
• Buying text links
• Confessions of a Link Building Casanova
• Explaining to Clients How to Get Links
• How can I get inbound links
• How much to quote for link building_
• It’s time to get some new links!
• Link Development in the Blogosphere
• Link Development Persona_ Male Versus Female
• Link Development Post Toolbar PR
• Link Development Strategies In the Age of Sandbox
• Link Development vs. Traffic Development and Staying with the Times
• Link Strategies To Build Presence and Gain Exposure
• New Link Spamming Technique
• Promoting deep linking
• Quality Content as Passive Link Development
• Research your Competition
• The Art Of Persuasion in Link Exhange Requests
• The Dark Side of Exchanging Reciprocal Links
• Buying Links – ‘Staying under the Radar’

Supporter’s Forum (worth every penny of membership)

• How many new links per month to be on the safe side
• Things to watch out for when outsourcing link development
• Tips For Attaining One Way Inbound Links
• If I was a search engine, part 1…
• "Triangular" link exchange
• Brainstorm On How To Get One Way I.B. Links
• Employing Link hunters
• Hints from Search Engine Engineers about Links
• Link Patterns
• The text link market
• They Handy Dandy [Sponsoredy] Linky Getting Guidy
• Paid Links – Is it time to take it seriously_
• Part 2 Explaining to Clients How to Get Links

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole Alice – Resources for those figuring out what SEO really is.

You can take the blue pill or the red pill. The blue pill will take you back to your cozy desk job coding for the man, and the red pill might lead you to insomnia induced by ideas of how to turn your startup into a real company using only your laptop combined with some technical and marketing skills, and a realistic gameplan to pull it off. Or you might end up going from self employed to unemployed real quickly.

The first converstation I have with folks generally consists of them asking some questions about what SEO is. If they are REALLY interested, and get beyond thinking about the fact that I tell them meta tags generally don’t matter much, I would guess it feels a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. I am still overwhelmed with information overload on a daily basis, and this is after over about 6 years of studying and experimenting with SEO techniques on a daily basis. I think the information overload stems from having so many opportunities to apply the information, as well as trying to keep up and evolve process with emerging opportunities. Digesting, managing, and even thriving on the information overload is extremely important in a business built on timely, relevant information.

Here’s where to start with your SEO Training if you’d prefer the red pill:

• SEO Glossary
• SEO Beginner’s Guide
• Google hot topics (Tedster is truly amazing)
• Search Engine Ranking Factors V.2
• SEO Tools
• SEO Tools 2
• SEO Manifesto
• Jim Boykin’s best posts

If that’s not enough, check out Lee’s list of SEO/SEM blogs, or Search through them. 

More resources on site strategy: 18 questions your CEO forgot to ask when building your website

Practice your blocking and tackling every day. Read these long enough, focus on refining tactics, and experimentation, and you’ll always have a team to play for; your clients, vendors, employer, or partners will be dumping the gatorade all over you for being the one that "made it rain".

What resources do you use for your SEO Playbook or your SEO blocking and tackling?

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Rae Hoffman, aka Sugarrae asked several well known link builders to do a group interview on link development.  See Five Link Development Experts: A Group Interview. The results are surprisingly candid and varied, yet share a common thread. 

The interviewees were…

Me, aka Eric Ward, aka Link Moses, aka the guy behind URLwire

Rand Fishkin from SEOMoz

Roger Montti aka martinibuster, the VP of Verticals at Best of the Web

Todd Malicoat of Stuntdubl and SEO Class

Rae Hoffman of Sugarrae and SEO Class

Creative Suite 3 brings together Adobe and Macromedia products that will give designers and developers a number of options for print, Web, mobile interactive, film and video production.

 There are half a dozen new configurations of Creative Suite 3 that include Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Design Standard editions; Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Web Standard editions; and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. The final product is Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection, which combines 12 design and development applications.

Creative Suite 3 is compatible with Intel-based Macs along with Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista. Users should notice an improved performance running Creative Suite 3 on Macs with Intel chips and Windows hardware.

"Creative Suite 3 is the biggest launch in Adobe’s 25 year history and a milestone for the creative industry," said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer at Adobe. "This release reflects the powerful integration between Adobe and Macromedia and how our products bridge the gap between designers and developers."

"With new workflows that streamline collaboration and impact the development of rich content, designers and developers now have the creative license to engage audiences across virtually every medium."

Creative Suite 3 will begin shipping in April and worldwide beginning in the third quarter of 2007.

Adobe shares rose to $43.95 this morning on the news that it would be shipping its Creative Suite 3 in April.  This afternoon shares fell to $42.79

Handing powerful tools to novice developers without a training option left them dependent on other resources to learn how to use them.

It has to be noted Microsoft has a heavy self-interest in training people to do web or Windows development with its Beginner Developer Learning Center.

The tools that someone learns today will be the ones they probably stick with for years.

Microsoft provides a four-step process to getting started Visual Studio Express.

Developers select an interest, web or Windows, and assess their skill level and Lesson Tiers.

They can then download and install the relevant free Express edition they need, and follow a Learning Path of lessons.

From there, the student’s effort and ability takes him forward for the learning experience.

Jason Lee Miller might call this another example of the Google-ization of the Internet.

That might be partially correct, in terms of making a service available online.

Microsoft requires a software installation of an Express product on a machine, one that has a licensed copy of Windows purring away on its hard drive.

The training comes from an online resource, and that speaks to Microsoft’s view of a hybrid online/offline world of resources.

It’s more likely that Microsoft’s training aims for an audience that might be seduced by the LAMP stack of Linux/Apache/MySQL/Perl or PHP or Python, as well as potential Ruby on Rails or Java developers.

Microsoft is making a gamble that free training today will equal commercial licensing sales of Visual Studio, SQL Server, and Windows tomorrow.

On the web development side, Microsoft offers a lot of information for the learner.

They go through Visual Studio Express as a platform, and touch on CSS and JavaScript.

That leads to introductions to Visual Basic and C#.

Once learners move to Tier Two, they start with ASP.NET and begin building a user interface.

Tier Three continues their journey through website development, and includes a lesson on one of the more important aspects of that task: debugging and tracing.

Microsoft isn’t limiting their Beginners to being adults.

They have also provided a Kids Corner of C# and Visual Basic e-books to bring the little ones into Microsoft’s way of development thinking.

Maybe your next web developer won’t have time to work on your e-commerce engine until baseball practice is over.

He’ll have to put your project on hiatus when he discovers girls, though.

—

As long as there has been the Internet, there have been tools to help keep it running well. More times than not, those tools are the ones associated with Linux. Much of web development is based upon the system of LAMP development, which consists of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This system makes up better than two-thirds of all Internet servers.

In short, LAMP development tools are effective because they offer developers with the ability and freedom to do a lot of different things in website design. Generally, the open source underpinnings of the system of the LAMP tools offer the ability to design websites and databases that are both effective and creative. These tools would be described as being very user-friendly, making them a popular choice of web designers world wide.

LAMP development tools have grown in popularity because of their availability and their adaptability. Both admirable features in a web design tool program, these things offer easy access for web designers. In addition, the LAMP development system has taken the lead as the top web design program because it is continually evolving. The system takes suggestions at many times from the folks who use it. Their effectiveness lies in the fact that they cater directly to the needs of the customers. The system constantly changes and improves itself because it takes to heart the needs of the devoted and informed customer base. Nowhere else in the web hosting and development market does that happen.

With LAMP development technology, web designers can get down to what they do best. They can focus on using creative measures to design and produce great websites. The added advantage of having this system is that the designers can take their focus off of administrative work and onto what they do best. This allows a certain amount of flexibility for a web design business.

The specifics of the LAMP development program all revolve around the Linux system. While it is best to have all of the programs working in unison, it is not completely necessary. The Linux part is the most important, though. The Linux distribution system is an important, but perplexing part of the equation. With so many different types of Linux out there for consumption, it can sometimes be confusing on which one to choose. The best and most effective of all of the Linux systems is probably the Anaconda-based installation system. The advantage with this program is that it allows for the configuration of many different types of hardware options.

While Linux might be important, no one can overlook the Apache portion of the LAMP development program. This open source tool is effective because of its rich code base and its prevalence on the web. The Apache element of the program is effective because it requires really no extra work in order to install. In addition, Apache is something highly configurable and easy to modify.

The MySQL database is an interesting part of the equation. This open source tool has almost revolutionized the way that web pages are hosted. This tool has given web designers an even greater measure of versatility because it allows for real-time web hosting. This allows users to create dynamic websites that are fully functional.

The LAMP development system is something that has always powered the World Wide Web. Combining the powers of Linux with the other features gives web designers the ability to create versatile websites. This system will continue to be powerful tools for web designers as long as the changes of users are noted and implemented.

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Andy West is a freelance writer for PhpMyDev.com . PhpMyDev offers complete web development and hosting using LAMP development. Please visit http://www.PhpMyDev.com for more information.

There was very little standardized methods to make website development an easy process and each site may have been designed with customized programming that may have been totally incompatible with any other site.

When the number of programmers raised from a few hundred to more than 30,000 it became much clearer that there needed to be some cohesive way to simplify things.

This process led to new partnerships and development applications that have become the standards of the day.

As new developments are unveiled they are field tested by programmers and implemented once it is clear that the methodology is workable.

In many cases these new development programs can be refined and repackaged into a form based method that allows non-tech customers to develop a website that is as functional as any other site and at a fraction of the cost.

Certainly this was not possible in 1995, but through the trial and error of more than ten years the best features have risen to the top and the have proven very useful to both programmers as well as online business.

With so many programs available to developers today it is becoming much easier to upgrade features and enhance website productivity.

Many programmers are very interested in making site developments self-directed by their customers.

The reason is simply the sheer numbers of new sites that are being developed. If at least a portion of the site can be managed by the customer there are two benefits, 1) less need for one on one development for the programmer and, 2) more direct control by the website owner.

When the business owner has the capability of managing the functions of the website the faster the clarity of vision can be realized.

This is largely viewed as one of the predominate features of self-directed programming on website developments.

The cost effective nature of self-directed site development has caused many to wonder why they didn’t look into this solution before.

Many new start-up ecommerce sites have discovered this method to be the quickest way to provide their potential customers with the full benefit of their services.

The future of web development has a lot to do with the expectations of website owners and the demands of the consuming public.

It is a safe assumption that as new technologies are required there will be programmers who can assist in its development and then work to refine the function so that ecommerce can implement the technology in a self-directed user-friendly format.

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Scott Lindsay is a web developer and
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Well, there just happens to be a piece of the Internet that I bet you haven’t made the leap to yet and it is going to be BIG. This new space is mobile search and mobile Internet surfing.

I know, I know, mobile Internet use has been around for a while, but even now it is very much in the infancy phase of development. After all, it was only over the past year that a W3C working draft appeared that allows web designers to create mobile sites compatible with the many mobile phone browsers. I have tried to use the search and navigation abilities on mobile phones and I have not been impressed; clunky is a nice way to put it. That said, there is no question in my mind this is a market that will explode over the next couple of years. To back up my lofty claim here are just a few of the notable headlines on the build-up to mobile search and advertising published over the last 30 days:

Vodafone and Yahoo to Launch Advertising on Mobile Devices (Yahoo)

Mobile technology is way ahead in Europe and Vodafone is currently “the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover and has a market value of about 86 billion (November 2006)” ( according to Wikipedia ) . Yahoo has signed a deal which will provide Vodafone users with carefully targeted advertising in exchange for cheaper phone options.

Google Testing Mobile Ads in Eight More Countries (MarketWatch)

“The ads apparently will appear whenever someone in those countries use a cell phone’s Internet capability to access a site or to search via Google’s engine.” The article also states that Google is ” also going after the $11 billion that advertisers are expected to spend on mobile marketing by 2011, according to a recent report by the telecom division of Informa Group.”

Google and Microsoft in Mobile Search Race (Financial Times)

This article notes that ” Google announced a deal to put its search function on 3mobile’s handsets”, and “Sprint Nextel, the US carrier, said it would place Microsoft’s search engine on its mobile phones.”

So we know from the articles above that the mobile web is poised to really take off. However, did you know that it already has to some degree? For example:

Google Mobile has an option that will only provide results from sites that were created mobile-friendly. ( link )

On November 28, 2006 the Webby’s, which are labeled the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, added a new category specifically for the mobile web: ” Webby Awards Join With dotmobi To Launch Webby Mobile Awards. ”

In short, there is a huge amount of positive growth in the mobile marketplace and I recommend taking a slice of it before your competition does. So what do you need to do? Get a dotmobi domain, build a mobile version of your website and promote it by adding it to various mobile directories and sites.

1. Get a .Mobi Mobile Domain

Just this year a consortium of major players including Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, Samsung, Ericsson and Nokia sponsored a new domain meant specifically for a new mobile web: .mobi . Opened for general registration as of September 26, 2006, the .mobi top level domain “is the first and only top level domain dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices” says the official ” What is dotmobi? ” page).

The idea of the .mobi domain is to create a mobile version of your website so that users can simply type in your .mobi address and be assured of a streamlined viewing of your company website on their mobile device. It really is quite brilliant in my opinion and it has a good chance of becoming a popular address with such monsters as Google and Microsoft on the list of supporters.

If you wish to register your dotmobi domain here is a list of registrars provided by the dotmobi website. From what I can tell, however, GoDaddy is providing the best annual .mobi registration price of $15 per domain (min. 2 yrs).

2. Build Your Mobile Web Site

Designing for mobiles is not exactly new but as it is still new to me I cannot provide a great deal of first hand knowledge. That said, StepForth will be creating our own mobile site in-house so I know my Senior Designer and I have a learning curve ahead. Fortunately, to this end, a little research and patience led me to some great resources that I recommend. The following sites will take you in the right direction:

- MobiSiteGalore.com : if you are looking for a simple cookie cutter approach to creating your mobile website you can develop it for free using this website’s mobile compliant website builder. I watched the demo movie on how a website is created and I must say I am very impressed with its functionality.

- Official .mobi Development Standards : If you would like to custom design your mobile website so that it stands out from the rest then this is the site for you. Develop a mobile website to meet .mobi guidelines at the .mobi development website . The .mobi development site appears to be designed to make the move to mobile as easy as possible – thankfully! The development site even offers a free course to put your designer through so that he/she can understand the needs of a properly designed mobile website. In short, I am very impressed with this website and I expect it to provide all that StepForth needs to get our own mobile website online (it will be stepforth.mobi when it is complete).

Additional Mobile Resources

Here are some sites that provide some great additional information but they would likely be a bit too technical for the average site owner. These are, however, great for your designer to check out:

- Mobile FAQ: a mixture of general and specific questions for understanding the mobile phenomenon and designing a mobile site.

- W3C Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group: this is not light reading but your designer may find it interesting.

Check Your Final Product

Once your mobile website is complete you need to verify that it is completely mobile compliant. The .mobi development site provides a ” MobiReady Report ” which will check your site for compliance. This is a great way to be sure that your designer has done a good job and that your website will be as compliant as possible across the wide range of mobile products available.

3. Optimize Your Mobile Site

Optimizing a mobile site is only slightly different than the average website. The basics of optimization remain true; be sure to create great Title Tags, Description Tags, headings, navigation, and focus your content to match page targets. The only difference is you will have less screen real estate to work with so try to keep your optimized content concise – no one wants to read useless information on his or her mobiles. After all, you can be reasonably sure that the time a visitor is willing to spend on a mobile site to find information will be significantly less than their standard visit from their home computer; thus the word ‘mobile’. In short, you will have very little time to convince a visitor to stay at your website.

Google Optimization Note: create a Google Mobile Sitemap so Google can ensure your mobile content is properly noted and categorized as mobile friendly. Will this help traffic? I would think so, here is Google’s message verbatim, ‘ by using Mobile Sitemaps to inform and direct our crawlers, we hope to expand our coverage of the mobile web and speed up the discovery and addition of pages to our mobile index.’ ( link )

4. Promote Your Mobile Web Site

The mobile Internet is composed of a growing exclusive group at the moment so it is important that your new website get as much visibility as possible. Here are some great tips and resources to help you do that:

- Submit your mobile site to Yahoo! Mobile for free

- Use PRWeb.com to send out a press release about your new .mobi website. Show the world that your company is cutting edge and strives to provide multiple solutions for accessing your products/services.

- Publish your mobile address on your website, business cards, and any other promotional materials. If you don’t tell your target market that you have a mobile site they won’t know to use it.

- Tell dotmobi about your site and it might just get some free publicity by being featured or becoming a case study.

In Summary

I think the .mobi domain is a fantastic way to provide a unique presence specifically designed for the mobile world. The fact that mobile phones are ubiquitous simply reinforces the need for the informed website owner to get their own mobile site setup ASAP. At the very least I would recommend picking up a .mobi domain of your own so that it is not snatched up when the inevitable rush to the mobile web becomes a reality.

Other Excellent Mobile Content

The following are some sites that I came across throughout the creation of this article. I found them very interesting and well worth noting:

WAPReview.com “It’s all about the mobile web”: this site is well written and includes some great tips and stories that you may find revealing – I know I did. Here is a particularly good posting that attracted my attention: ” Mobile Web (un)Usability ”

Open Gardens : a blog that discusses the latest innovations in wireless mobility.

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Ross Dunn is the CEO and founder of StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc., an SEO firm that has been providing expert services since 1997. Rosss considerable experience in the world of search has made him a respected writer for countless publications and an SEO consultant for small business and Fortune 500 web properties.