Last summer Nokia introduced a free mobile search software for its smartphones. The Nokia Mobile Search is not just a search engine, itīs more of an search application with a local focus that uses several content providers and different search applications such as Eniro, Fonecta, Yahoo!, Yell.com and NAVTEQ. The Web Search and the Image Search are provided by Yahoo.

The Nokia Mobile Search has been piloted in the UK, Finland and Sweden and now expands to Denmark, France, Italy, Norway and Spain.

New Countries
Mobile Search users in the above mentioned countries can now access local content from Eniro, Findexa, Fonecta, Page Jaunes, TPI PaginasAmarillas.es, Seat Pagine Gialle and Yell.com. In a nutshell the local search means that once the application has found the service or destination you searched for, it directs you to the right location with the aid of a map with dynamic panning and zooming.

Local Search
As an example you can search for a local business and you are then provided with a list of results and from this you can dial the business, add the number to your contacts or view a map with the location of the business.

Local search engines enable country specific quests for services or businesses - anything from bakeries and bars to hotels and hostels. The search results reveal the relevant contact data, and with the push of a button, the user can call that pizza place directly, or choose to save it straight to Contacts. Once the desired search has been located, the integrated mapping solution, where available, shows the user how to get there. Share the find by sending the map as a MMS to a friend. nokia

The services available on Mobile Search vary depending on country and in France and Sweden users can also locate friends or family with people search.

The Web Search
The Yahoo! Web Search (picture below) returns a list of results and when clicking on a result you get a brief description of the web page. An Image Search also returns a list with a thumbnail of each result. If you choose to go to the web page the search application opens your phone default browser and you can then browse the web page. It would be nice if one could change this setting and have the results opened with another browser.



Is This Good?
This kind of search application has many advantages compared to Yahoo!, Google or any other search engine. The seacrh result is the same as on the web, but the user interface is developed with small screens in mind and this makes the application more user friendly compared to the standard Yahoo! Web Search.

I guess mobile search is also more focused on local search and is typically a search for a service or business. A search on Yahoo! would not give the best answers to this kind of search and that is why the integration of local directories and services like Eniro into the application comes in handy.

Test: Search For "Beer in Helsinki"
A search with Eniro local search for "olut" (beer in finnish) gave me less than 10 results for Helsinki. I know Helsinki is a small town, but not that small!

This is an good example that the mobile search is in its early stage and that there are still many things to consider like what people search for and with what keywords.

We Say: Local mobile search applications are without a question the killer applications for cell phones. Big money will also be involved as people use the Internet to find a business or products. Many studies tell us that the percentage of those searches that lead to an actual sale can be as high as 30 %.

The search application with the best user interface, usability and content will win this race. Other things that will play a vital role is the cost to use the service and if it will be with or without disturbing ads.

The best content is free to use and free for everyone to ad. Bought or manipulated search results are not the way to build a local mobile search. To get more interactivity and value to the search results users should be able to ad, tag, review and rate the services.

The search should also be automatically location based using the cell phone base stations as fixed mapping points. If I would search for hamburgers I would automatically get a listing of the hamburger bars (search order nearest first). Maybe then I could change the results listing order by highest rated or cheapest first.

Tip: When the local search goes mobile for the masses there will be a huge competion when it comes to search engine optimization. Today searches like "hotels helsinki" are getting some competition, but searches like "beer helsinki", "pizza helsinki" and "taxi helsinki" has no competition at all. If you want to be prepared for that battle start optimizing today!


tags: nokia mobile search

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