Google GoMo goads businesses to optimize for phone

Google on Tuesday kickstarted the GoMo project to encourage mobile-optimized websites. The page gives both studies showing the incentives for a company to make a smallerpage as well as tips as to how to do it, such as making touch-friendly, easily visible sites. Developers can also get a mobile-optimized preview of their existing page if content is missing.

The search firm contended both that phones were increasingly ubiquitous and that many were more likely to buy or otherwise act if they had access to a mobile page. Nearly all of smartphone owners, 95 percent, had searched for local info, and 90 percent of them did something such as visiting or calling within a day, Google said. It also warned about the consequences of broken pages driving users to competitors and discouraged using proprietary, limited plugins like Flash, instead choosing HTML5.

"Find alternatives to Flash -- it does not work on some devices," Google said despite its alliance with Adobe.

The page has the clear interest of driving companies towards Google's web search but may also be a way to minimize the use of native apps. While Google has a presence in native app advertising through AdMob, rivals such as Medialets are more likely to compete in that area. Native also encourages a paid model for some apps and can cut advertising out of the ecosystem altogether.

By Electronista Staff