Weblog
05/07/08: AzoogleAds and Traffix Mobile Marketing
http://www.azoogleads.com/corp/about/mobile_aup.phphttp://www.traffixinc.com/mobile_solutions.html
04/11/08: Spotty Posting Schedule - Sorry!
Hi Everyone,I just wanted to apologize for my inattention to this blog recently. I have been getting e-mails, chats and calls from people asking about the blog, which is surprising, because I really didn't think anyone was reading it. I am working on changing hosting companies and moving the blog to WordPress, so that I can actually control file names and stuff like that, so bear with me. I am hoping to begin posting semi-regularly again soon. Until then, send me an e-mail if you have questions about mobile web development or SEO: cindy.krum@bluemoonworks.
'Appreciate your patients,
CK
03/22/08: SES NY 2008
So I'm sitting in LaGuardia airport, reflecting on the week at SES NY and hoping that my plane won't be delayed any more; (as it is, I won't be in my bed until about 3am at this point.)Though I didn't get to attend all the sessions I wanted to, the conference was a huge success. I thought the most powerful presentation was definitely given by Nick Carr. What he had to say was especially relevant for mobile issues. He talked about 'Cloud Computing' as the wave of the future; mass adoption of cloud computing technologies will mean that we will be able to access the same software and data from any web-enabled device, regardless of what type of device it is; weather it be a laptop, a phone or something else.
His vision of the future with cloud computing is very similar to my vision of how mobile computing will fit into the future of the web. I promote a one-site approach to mobile because I believe it is the most reasonable, logical and cost efficient for webmasters to maintain and also because it is best for SEO. I think that in the near future it will simply be unacceptable to think that data or software available on one type of web-enabled device will not be available on another. What do you think?
12/06/07: SES: Mobilize Your Site For Mobile Search
Written by David A. Utter and Originally Published on WebProNews on 12/06/06:http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/2006/12/06/ses-mobilize-your-site-for-mobile-search
Millions of people carry cellphones, and many of those devices can surf the Internet. Search engine companies have recognized their potential and are targeting mobile services both to consumers and advertisers. Our Chris Richardson tapped out some notes on his cellphone while speakers at SES Chicago discussed the topic of mobile search optimization.
Site publishers who have developed their websites on big monitors years ago probably never thought they may have to someday make them work on a 2.5" screen. That time to do so has arrived slowly in the US, as a general reluctance to shell out big bucks for data service on a cellphone could be overcome by more efficient and less expensive wireless technology.
Plenty of people use those services today, and since they represent an audience with enough free cash flow to afford (or have someone else pay for) the Web on their mobiles, it makes sense to target a profitably desirable niche.
Doing so for five particular vertical industries should be an essential part of those industries' strategies: consumer goods, fast food restaurants, entertainment, travel & hospitality, and financial. A new domain, .mobi, has been established for sites created for mobile websites to help drive their development.
Today, Google does transcoding that permits existing websites to fit onto a small screen from a Google mobile search. The process does remove graphical elements, so sites that run CPM ads will need to consider that.
Yahoo accepts .mobi site submissions at their site, and webmasters can create a mobile sitemap for Google to index.
The normal SEO practices one uses for a conventional website still apply in the mobile realm. Just because the viewing space is smaller doesn't mean visitors want anything less than useful content; that's even more important to a time-pressed traveler on the run.
Cindy Krum of Blue Moon Works spoke about the ins and outs of optimizing for the mobile experience, one that is in its infancy here. The traffic from mobile doesn't compare to PC-based web traffic yet.
But if it catches on here as it has in Japan and through Europe, that will change. Currently, Krum recommends coding a mobile site in XHTML to make sure mobile devices can properly render it.
Keep the code lean to enhance loading times, and separate content from format by using CSS, preferably through an external style sheet that can be loaded into a mobile browser's cache once and used repeatedly.
Since mobile devices vary in size, from the smaller vertical screens on flip phones to the wider real estate on smart phones, the webmaster should test for compatibility with different screen sizes. This is another place where the external style sheet will help.
The use of appropriate headers and MIME types helps clarify which content goes to the browser and to the crawler. For the browser content, label buttons clearly and organize them logically. Finding the right place to click should be easy on a small screen, not difficult.
Including text links for navigation, and placing navigation below the content, should make for a better experience on the mobile platform. Optimized content needs to go up top, as always.
While some may debate just how long it will take for inexpensive and fast wireless services to emerge for mobile users, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes activity aimed at making that happen. Being a first-mover with quality content and an effective design and navigation scheme could make one's site a must-see on the mobile web as more people embrace its usage.
12/05/07: Cindy Krum, Senior SEO Analyst, speaks at SES in Chicago
Cindy Krum spoke on the Mobile Search Optimization panel at the Search Engine Strategies conference in Chicago last week.The Search Engine Strategies conference, produced by incisivemedia, was hosted at the Chicago Hilton December 4-7, 2006. The conference educated participants on the evolving world of search engine marketing and provide an environment to meet, network and learn. Krum spoke on the Mobile Search Optimization panel on Tuesday, December 5 at 3:00 p.m.
Mobile search technology is a revolutionary topic in search marketing. Krum will be discussing the techniques used to optimize and leverage this new extension of traditional search marketing.
For more information about the conference - visit http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/
WebProNews.com -12/11/2006 -
"Another area I was pleased to see covered was mobile search optimization. Thanks to a informative presentation by Cindy Krum of Blue Moon Works a great deal of ignorance surrounding mobile SEO was cleared up quite nicely."
http://blogs.webpronews.com/2006/12/11/wrap-up-thoughts-about-the-chicago-ses/
09/21/07: SMX Local Mobile
Cindy Krum, Sr. SEO Analyst at Blue Moon Works, Inc. will be presenting at SMX Local Mobile, in Denver, CO, which is the corporate headquarters for Blue Moon Works, Inc. Her presentation will be part of the Mobile Search Track, and will be held on October 2nd (the second day of the convention)at 10:45 am. The SEO Best Practices for Mobile Search panel will be moderated by Chris Sherman, and will also include presentations from Gregory Markel, Founder/President of Infuse Creative and Rachel Pasqua, Director of Mobile Marketing at iCrossing.Search Engine Land is hosting a Mobile Week on their site, which features various articles related to mobile marketing and Mobile SEO. Cindy Krum's article, Sorting out the Mobile Mess features a discussion of the differences between mobile search results pages and traditional search results pages. It then delves into the specific differences between the various mobile search engine results pages. We have added a supplemental quick-reference Mobile SEO chart, which should help mobile optimizers immensely.
Still not registered for SMX Local Mobile? Register now and get 20% off your entire registration fee. Just use the discount code: SMX20OffLM
Attend SMX Local &
Mobile!
October 1-2, Denver
the Search Engine Land editorial team, Search Marketing Expo
(SMX) Local & Mobile covers the latest tips and techniques for local
search. It's the only event 100 percent focused on the significant
opportunity that the local and mobile space offers to search marketers. See the Agenda.
08/31/07: Cindy Krum Interview with Keith DuBay
About a month ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Keith DuBay, author of the New Media blog for Colorado Biz Today. Today he completed a 3 part series, based partially on our conversations, where he discussed a lot of important topics relevant to search engine marketers right now.
The first article in the series, A conversation with an SEO analyst, Part 1 of 3: Why Cindy Krum thinks mobile-specific Web platforms are hooey discussed what might be in store for us all as the adoption of the mobile web increases in the US. While I don't recall ever using the word 'hooey' in my life, I do agree that it is a good description of people who insist on setting up separate websites for mobile browsers. Recent news about Google Search enabled BMW's and Mercedes in Germany, Italy and France, as well as the excellent mobile browsing experience available on the iPhone illustrate the idea that there is 'one web.' As technology progresses we will not be able to create separate websites for all the different web-enabled devices that might render our website, so why waste the time, energy and resources trying. Better to create one site that will work across the board.
The second article in the series, New Media Blog search engine optimizing part II: Key words don't cut it anymore, gave a great overview of how search engine algorithms have changed through the years, and what is important to search engines now. The final article in the series, Paid links OK but so-called contextual links chip away credibility discussed the implications of paid link and sponsored blogging (Pay-per-Post) and how those miro-economies are changing online. Keith believes that undisclosed paid links hurt the credibility of any site that uses them. While I believe that the debate on paid links will eventually level out to some middle ground, paid links are quite the hot topic in the search marketing community right now.
Thanks Keith! I look forward to speaking to you again soon!
08/29/07: Cindy Krum Speaks at Search Engine Strategies San Jose
On the 22 of August I had the pleasure of speaking on the Mobile SEO panel at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in San Jose, CA. The panel also included Gregory Markel, Founder/President, Infuse Creative, LLC and Rachel Pasqua, Director of Mobile Marketing, iCrossing and it was moderated by Detlev Johnson, VP, Director of Consulting, Position Technologies. Please visit the SES San Jose website or e-mail cindy.krum@bluemoonworks.com to get the slides from the presentation.You can also get to know me by checking out one or all of my social profiles. I am working on building these out, so send me friend requests!
See Me on MySpace: Cindy Krum
See Me on LinkedIn: Cindy Krum
See Me on Facebook: Cindy Krum
