You can search Google using SMS text messaging. Simply text message your search query to 466453 (”GOOGLE” on most devices) and Google will text message back your search results. Google SMS uses some standardized queries for getting your information.

SMS or Short Message Service is also caused texting. SMS search is an alternative to browser searches done on the web. You text questions to receive text answers.
Google SMS search shortcuts: For a full list of search shortcuts, go to Google SMS.

1. Definitions: To find definitions on the Web, enter ‘define’ (or ‘d’) followed by the word or phrase (ex: define ubiquitous, d network)
2. Driving Directions: To get driving directions, enter your start address then ‘to’ followed by your destination address (ex: 94040 to 94043, pasadena ca to los angeles).
3. Local business listings: type in what you want to find followed by the city and state or zip code. Example: pizza 98665 or sushi salt lake city.
4. Movies: To get movie show times, enter the name of a CURRENT movie and include a city and state, or zip code. Example: movies phoenix or movies 94110.
5. Product Prices: To get product prices, enter ‘price’ followed by the product name (ex: price dvd player, price camera), or enter ‘upc’ followed by the UPC code or ‘isbn’ followed by the ISBN code.
6. Stocks: To get stock quotes, enter a SINGLE stock ticker symbol or the word ’stock’ followed by a less obvious ticker name (ex: GOOG, stock DUCK).
7. Time: To get local time in a city, enter ‘time’ followed by the city name (ex: time London, time Boston).
8. Translation: To get translations, enter ‘translate’ (or ‘t’) followed by the expression, ‘to’ and a destination language (ex: translate dog to french, t new to german).
9. Weather: Look up the weather anywhere by entering weather followed by city and state or zip code. Examples: weather portland or; weather 10024.
10. Web Search: Do a web search using SMS by entering the word web followed by your search phrase. The top 3 results are returned. Example: web small business consulting.

Do you need to find the location of the nearest ATM to get some cash? Then find the nearest fast food restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat? Just use your mobile phone and do a quick local search on Google.

If you are searching on your iPhone or Android phone, it is now even easier. This week (Jan 7), Google unveiled a feature called “Near me now.” Clicking on that link will return a list of local points of interest, including restaurants, coffee shops, and bars, as well as banks and ATMs. This is the latest way Google is making local search more convenient.

On other phones you need to go to Google and then select “Local” to search for businesses close to you. This makes it fast and easy to locate local businesses close to where your immediate location.

These Google local results are a combination of Google Local Business Center results that are supplemented with phone directory results from both white and yellow page business listings.

The best results occur for businesses that take the time to complete a free directory listing on Google. It is most best is to have your listing claimed, updated, reviewed. Many smaller local businesses are using this directory listing as a substitute for a business website. These free listings give even the smallest businesses to have an online presence at no cost.

By now I am sure you are saying that my company is a small local business. Why would I need a mobile website? Well, your type of company is the most searched for from hand held devices. When your customers are out and about, they are not near their desktop computer.

If they are hungry, they want to find a place to eat. If they are in a mood for a movie, they will look up the movie theater to see what is playing.

What happens in an emergency? What if their car breaks down and they need to find a nearby repair shop? What if they get into a car accident and they need to find a body shop to get towed to?

Let’s say you have someone coming to see you because of your ad in the newspaper. They get lost and go to their phone to find directions. They can’t find you, or your website won’t work on their phone …but they do find your competition. They click on your competitor and get turn by turn directions to their door. Now you have lost a customer.

So what kinds of businesses need a mobile website? Every coffee shop, restaurant, night club, doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, car repair and dry cleaner needs one.

…If your business depends on local customers, then you need a mobile website.

…If your business depends on advertising in the Yellow Pages, then you need a mobile website.

…If your customers want to get their information on the go, then you need a mobile website.

The mobile industry is still in its infancy, but it is growing fast. Now is the time to create a mobile friendly website and be the leader in your market.

Most companies today have a “regular” website, but the new frontier is the mobile web. This is the Internet as viewed on your cell phone. Very few businesses today have a website that can be easily viewed on a mobile phone. But is this important for a local business?

Mobile websites are very different than traditional websites. Cell phones have small screens and as they access the Internet they cannot read “regular” websites very well. Cell phones require simpler websites, smaller in size and with few graphics. A separate mobile website is needed. Mobile websites are much smaller and have fewer pages. The message is much more focused to what your mobile audience wants to know.

The mobile web is lighter than the normal web. Desktops connect to the internet through a stable high speed connection. Cell phones by their nature have to connect on the move. Connections are transferred from cell-tower to cell-tower and are affected by carrier coverage. This makes mobile devices limited in bandwidth.

There is a tremendous variety of mobile phones today. They range from very small screens to the larger screen of the Smartphone such as the iPhone. This creates challenges to create website for phones with different capabilities, features and restrictions.

Mobile web use is sharply on the rise. The transformation of traditional e-Commerce over to mobile Commerce or m-commerce has begun. There is still reluctance by mobile users to use their phones for online purchases. The trend toward these types of transactions is just now beginning to grow.

Headlines are all around us about mobile web growth. Examples include:

• 65 Million People Use Mobile Facebook.
• iPhone gains 10% web browsing use in August.
• Forrester Predicts European Mobile Internet Explosion

It’s not surprising that m-commerce is expected to grow exponentially in the near future. eMarketer is forecasting that 70 million US mobile phone users will access the Internet through their phone in 2009.

Earlier this month, Internet Retailer reported that there are now over 100 m-commerce sites that allow consumers to shop and make purchases on their mobile phones. Although 100 websites is a very small number today, this is expected to grow very quickly. The larger online retailers have been investing heavily into the mobile channel. This includes companies such as Amazon.com, Overstock.com, 1-800-Flowers.com and Foot Locker.

Major obstacles to m-commerce growth are the lack standardization among Smartphone browsers and operating systems, capital constraints and issues with consumer privacy and security.

M-commerce is being welcomed by early adopters. Items that appear to be very much in demand are things that appeal to the on-the-go consumers and involve small amounts of money. This includes pizza and movie tickets.

Mobile ticketing allows for the purchase of tickets for movies, ballparks and even air/train travel. Tickets can be booked and then downloaded to mobile phones with the help of simple mobile phone applications.

Another day, another smart phone, right?

Well, kinda. T-Mobile’s myTouch isn’t Google’s first foray into the cell phone market (T-Mobile’s G1 came out last October), but it certainly has a better chance to compete with the iPhone because of the intangibles. It looks much more stylish (think Tercel to Lamborghini type of style upgrade), drops the physical QWERTY keyboard for a touch version (which is all the rage right now) and T-Mobile seems to be really pushing the advertising of the phone.

Add that to the fact that the appeal of having all your Google products designed specifically for use on one device is attractive for a lot of people, and you have a potential slice of the iPhone market using Google a lot more often.

As a business owner, why should you care?

While it was important before to be on Google’s local search and found on Google Maps, it has now become essential. The number of people using Google Maps or local search is already high, but the myTouch makes it incredibly easy for someone to find locations nearby on the go. Make sure your listing is up to date and looks professional.

When it comes to wanting to rank well on the search engines, your focus should already be on Google since they’re clearly the #1 search engine in the world. And while Google fans are sure to pick up the phone, there are those out there who will start to use Google a lot more often.

Lastly, as you read in Doug’s last post with mobile industry expert Sean Flaherty mobile phones are quickly replacing, well, everything! Making sure your website is optimized for mobile search, and for mobile browsers, is something you should pay attention to before it’s too late!

Hardware technology trends have already turned cell phones into Smartphones. Computing power and wireless high speed 4G networks are developing and evolving quickly. This will propel Smartphones into the full mobile PC of tomorrow. But it is the software programs or “apps” that will turn this mobile computer into the productive tool we need.

I spent some time discussing this with Sean Flaherty, Industry expert, whose software development company ITX Corp specializes in creating apps for the iPhone. These are his insights into this evolving industry.

What changes will be happening in mobile phones and in mobile technology that will affect our near term future?

Sean:  Smartphones are the platform of the future. In another 5-10 years, your entire computing platform will be in your phone and we will use dumb terminals with monitors, keyboards and mice to interact with them for our jobs. They are already small, cheap and powerful enough for 95% of most people’s computing needs. We will soon do most of our shopping, reservations, business transactions and written communications right from our phones. Probably the most revolutionary change will come when we can ditch our need for wallets, because our phone will serve not only as our GPS, our media player and our communication platform, but also as our ID, our credit card and our complete computer system. True convergence of all of these devices is quickly becoming a reality.

What are the latest consumer and business trends in mobile phone apps?

Sean: The platform is still overwhelmingly used for gaming and “fun” entertainment applications and this is not changing anytime soon. Business is only starting to recognize the power of this technology and how it can get them ahead of their competition. This is the trend that will revolutionize how businesses interact with their consumers.

What types of mobile apps has ITX been creating for mobile phones?

Sean: We are seeing a huge demand for small, simple applications that bring companies and institutions into the mobile space. These range from simple search engines, to membership directories to online brochures that include full featured media. We have been creating applications in the Precious Metals industry, Academia, the Music Industry and even the Trucking industry. The utility of these devices is virtually unlimited.

What is the future going to be for mobile phone apps?

Sean:  Believe it or not, I think there is still a long, long way to go. We are only scratching the surface of the capabilities that these devices will have in the very near future. Here are the innovations that are just beginning to reach the industry and some of the effects that we will see:

1. Applications on every device will be able to ubiquitously interact with one another with proximity. I.e. iPhone to Nokia, the power of the gaming platform will multiply exponentially.
2. Applications will be able to interact with a plethora of useful peripherals via Bluetooth. i.e. digital scales, pocket blood analyzers, heart monitors, hard drives, cameras, refrigerators, coffee makers, TVs, Alarm Systems etc… The utilities will be endless.

The World Wide Web growth continues to accelerate in the number of websites and the number of people searching. It is interesting that the bigger the web grows the more local it becomes. Increasing demand, web applications, mobile phones for Internet searches all fuel the search for “local” on the Internet.

Market Data and Statistics

• The Internet has now grown to 225 million websites  according to Netcraft March 2009
• There are an estimated 1.6 billion Internet users worldwide according to Internet World Stats March 2009
• Local Search grew 58% in 2008 to 15.7 billion searches. This is 11.5% of all searches performed according to a comScore study March 2009.
• 82% of Local Searchers follow up offline via an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase according to a comScore study.
• 54% of Americans have substituted the internet and local search for phone books according to a comScore study.

This is changing the way local businesses view the Internet. In the past local businesses in California were concerned that they would be attracting inquiries from New York or Florida. This is not so any more.

The use of mobile phones is helping drive this change. Mobile search is increasingly becoming local. According to a Kelsey Group report, searches done from mobile phones were 28% local search in 2008. This is expected to grow to 35% in 2013. The number of mobile searches is expected to grow tremendously in this same period.

Local based searches on Smartphones like iPhones, Blackberry and the open source Google Phone is changing how local businesses market.  Search engines are the primary way consumers find things online.

Local SEO starts with keyword research. Potential customers search by combining keywords with local community names. They search using phrases like “coffee shops portland oregon”, “manhattan restaurant”, “tire repair phoenix” or “dry cleaner kissimmee fl.”

Businesses with multiple locations need to add a page about each location.

Conclusion: Local businesses need to have a website. They need to optimize their website using local community names. They need a mobile version of their website to capture the fast growing trend toward mobile phone web searches.

Most companies today have a “regular” website, but the new frontier is the mobile web. The Mobile Web is not just a fad. This is the internet as viewed on your cell phone.  You need to begin mobile marketing now if you want to stay ahead of your competition.

In the United States, 39% of mobile phones have Internet access (2008) for their cell phone according to a study by The Kelsey Group. This is expected to grow at 19% per year thru 2012. There is a tremendous variety of mobile phones today. They range from  small screens (such as the RAZR) to the larger screen of the Smartphone such as the iPhone.

Smartphones are the new breed of cell phones that are a hybrid of a computer and cell phone. Smartphones such as the iPhone or Blackberry Storm currently make up less than 20% mobile phone market, but they account for over 80% of mobile searches.

Who are the power users on the mobile web? 20-29 year olds search the mobile Internet the most. Men today have a slightly higher usage then women. It is pretty even by income level.

So how should businesses market themselves on the Mobile Web?

SMS Marketing: This is text based marketing where consumers opt in similar to email marketing. Consumers give you permission to send them digital coupons and specials. This is highly effective for local businesses.

Mobile Websites: These are smaller and simpler than regular websites. They are primarily text or text with simple graphics designed to be viewed on a wide variety of phones. The content is highly focused to what the mobile visitor is searching for.

Mobile Applications: Design applications to sell to Smartphone users to create new capabilities for their phones. This can range from Facebook applications to keeping commercial driving logs. The iPhone has been a major focus so far with the other Smartphones not far behind.

We have only seen the beginning of the move to mobile. Pew Internet projects that by 2020 more Internet searches will occur from mobile devices than from traditional desktops.

The mobile web is moving mainstream with everyone launching mobile websites. Methods for optimizing these websites are still in their infancy. Search engine optimization for mobile websites is not very different from standard SEO practices.

Standards for proper mobile website design are still being established and won’t be mature for some time. Standards for mobile search are even less defined, but we do know what is working today.

1. Create mobile friendly content.
2. Get spidered and indexed by mobile search engines.

The focus on the mobile web is on making the user experience easy and simple.

Accessibility: Follow W3C Mobile website design best practices and the dotMobi web developers guide to ensure the best user experience. This will ensure that your content is accessible to anyone regardless of their platform.

Keep it simple: Design a simple site structure with clear navigation.  Keep the content clean, short and easy to read on a cell phone. Avoid designing sites deeper than 3 layers.

Validated XHTML Code: Use only 100% valid XHTML 1.0 code. It is likely that WML will be phased out in the future as a coding language. Make it easy for the search engines to access your mobile website. Mobile search engines have trouble crawling and indexing invalid code.

Mobile Sitemap: Search engines need to know your mobile website exists in order to spider it.

1. Google Mobile Sitemaps
2. Yahoo Mobile Submit

Links: Each page of your mobile website should have at least one incoming link. From your home page link to a sitemap page. This sitemap should include links to all other pages to help the mobile spiders index and rank your content.

SEO Best Practices: Follow standard SEO best practices such as major keywords in the title tag, H1’s and body text, keyword-rich anchor text for internal links and the content itself. You will have much less text but the text that is there must be keyword rich.