While there was not a specific session dedicated to mobile at SMX West, it still proved to be a hot topic. As Cindy Krum points out in this video, mobile was discussed in many sessions at the show.
Mobile is being integrated into many areas such as analytics and online and offline business. In particular with online and offline business, mobile helps to bridge the gap between the two.
Mobile has become increasingly popular in the entire industry because it plays a large role in what we can expect. As many people have predicted, everyone will have a Web-enabled device in the future. Cindy explains how this prediction not only means mobile phones, but also indicates Web-enabled devices such as a GPS, MP3, and camera.
Another contributing factor to add to the popularity of mobile is the continuing changes of the mobile search algorithm. As it gets smarter, it can recognize the Web-enabled device and then personalize search results based upon what it knows. For example, Cindy describes how the owners of a Sidekick and Blackberry are very different people and that the mobile algorithm can acknowledge that.
Most importantly, websites need to be ready to adapt to these mobile devices. Cindy recommends that webmasters use a “device independent design” which would allow the site to run on any device. People using mobile devices have an immediate need and a website should be prepared to respond to it efficiently.
