Okay--I am just kidding about this being the year of mobile.We have heard many times that it would be the year of mobile; it is almost a joke at this point.
What does the year of mobile mean anyhow?
I don't think that their will ever be a "year of mobile"--I do however think that 2008 has been a significant year in terms of advancements in the mobile ecosystem.
Have a look at these numbers
Clearly the way in which people access the web has changed (notice I did not say, "the mobile web". It is the same web no matter where you access it)These M:Metrics/Comscore numbers are very compelling and clearly display drastic changes in the way consumers view mobile (especially in the US--very surprising to me). Say goodnight Yellow Pages.
While the numbers show a drastic change in behavior, what these numbers do not tell you is that only 9.2% of mobile subscribers search the web via a mobile device, and only half of those subscribers do so on a regular basis (once a week).
So is this in fact the year of mobile?
I would have to say probably not--but we are getting to the point where marketers need to seriously consider how they are optimizing for local search. Small businesses also need to be paying serious attention to LBA's on Google and other engines.
One thing I can say for sure is that--this is the year you need to start paying attention to mobile search (if you have not already).Search marketing has moved from searching the web to searching our world, and this is largely due to the mobile device.