Hints About The Future Of Mobile Search At Google I/O 2013

This week, Google will have its 6th annual developer conference, Google I/O, where the theme will be “Innovation in the Open.” Mobile Search, in particular, looks to be a focus in this year, and we can already pick up some pre-conference clues that indicate where the search giant is headed.

Unfortunately, we won’t hear from SEO guru Matt Cutts this year at I/O. He formerly presented a session on SEO at Google I/O each year, but that ended in 2010 — which was also the last year I personally attended the conference.

This year, Danny Sullivan, Greg Sterling, & Matt McGee will be covering Google I/O for Search Engine Land & Marketing Land. Even Matt Cutts can’t get a ticket due to Google I/O being so popular, both for being the de facto Android Woodstock and because of the likelihood of “Oprah moment” product giveaways. (Matt has said that presenting at Google I/O was the only way that he himself could actually get a ticket to the conference.)

Dynamic Serving’s Importance To Mobile Search

Even though he won’t be there, Matt Cutts has given us something to think about in the lead-up to I/O, providing a video affirming Google’s desire that webmasters use the Vary HTTP header to index the different HTML versions for device types dynamically served under one URL.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va6qtaiZRHg[/youtube]

This seems to suggest the advantage of dynamic serving over responsive design for Mobile SEO, since Google is interested in the different HTML typically served for mobile, which responsive design does not provide.

Isn’t Google I/O Mostly About Android?

Even though the conference does focus heavily on Android — justifiably so since about 60% of all smartphones and tablets are running Android — it also covers other topics that impacts Search.

Below are some interesting sessions that provide this early glimpse of where Google is going with Search:

• Instant Mobile Websites: Techniques and Best Practices – This looks to focus on improving load time for mobile sites, which is a factor both for SEO and user experience.

• Mobile, Web and Cloud – The Triple Crown of Modern Applications – This session introduces Web apps using HTML5 that can help in Search discoverability.

• G+ and Search: How to Enhance Your Brand Queries on Google – Hits on optimization techniques for Google+.

• Mobile HTML: The Future of Your Sites – HTML5 features for both usability and for providing an overall SEO edge.

• Device Agnostic Development – Further HTML5 design to reach all searchers regardless of device type.

But Why Should I Care About A Sold-Out Conference?

Just like SMX Advanced, Google I/O sold out quickly. However, you can still watch most of the sessions online, either live or shortly after the conference.

And, for those of you who are attending SMX Advanced, you don’t even have to watch — we will present insights gleaned from Google I/O, along with case studies in Getting Mobile SEO Right, on June 11th, 2013.

We hope to see you there at SMX Advanced, as well as here at Marketing Land, where the Mobile Marketing columns (including the former Mobile Search column from Search Engine Land) have made a new home.