Dictionary.com uses Google across platforms as mobile business continues to see strong growth

(6/23/2011) The links in this post have been updated.


With an average of 1 million new smartphones entering the market each day, it is critically important for content publishers to ramp up their mobile efforts if they have not already. According to StatCounter, the share of U.S. web browser activity originating from mobile devices more than doubled since May last year to 8.24%.   The good news is that some online publishers, such as Dictionary.com, started exploring mobile years ago to understand its potential and find new ways to engage their “on-the-go” user base.  

 

In 2007, Dictionary.com launched a mobile optimized website to provide the increasing number of users accessing their online content from mobile devices with a better mobile user experience.  Now Dictionary.com sees 9 million unique users on their mobile website and has over 30 million app downloads across Android, iPhone, Blackberry and iPad.  According to Dictionary.com’s President, Shravan Goli, growth in mobile usage is outpacing online usage by 4x and mobile users spend 2-3x more time engaged with mobile content.  In the interview below, we sat down with Shravan Goli to get his insights into growing a successful mobile business.

 

 

One of the key takeaways from Dictionary.com is the importance of adapting to the mobile context. Goli urges publishers to avoid just porting their online content to mobile and follow a few simple guidelines:

• Create a great user experience: This sounds simple, but is a challenge for many mobile publishers. Optimize for both mobile web and leverage unique capabilities of smart phone platforms for apps. User feedback directly impacts your app ranking, so listen to your users and be flexible to adapt quickly.
• Diversify your business model for apps: Free ad-supported apps provide extensive reach, but consider adding a paid ad-free version to give users choice.  
• Ad networks complement direct sales: Similar to their online business, Dictionary.com finds that ad networks such as Google’s AdMob make it easy to start monetizing both the mobile website and cross-platform apps from day one.
• Plan for the iterative process: The development cycle on mobile is more complicated than online so build in feedback mechanisms, monitor them closely, and evolve your products rapidly to meet the changing needs of your users.

After seeing such strong results with the Dictionary.com property on mobile, the company is now expanding its mobile portfolio to include a Flashcards and Spanish app to accompany their online versions.  Shravan comments, “on mobile, people are looking for content to fill the pockets of time in between activities.  Dictionary.com is providing tools for people to educate themselves on the go, wherever they are.”

 

For more details on Dictionary.com’s success, download the 2-page case study with additional insights from Dictionary.com’s GM of Mobile, Lisa Sullivan-Cross.

 

Posted by Keri Kandel, Product Marketing Manager, Mobile Ads

Dictionary.com uses Google across platforms as mobile business continues to see strong growth
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