​How's your mobile SERP presence? Branded content that's optimized for Google and Safari can bring more visits, as these hubs generate the most mobile traffic.

​Marketers realize search is moving toward the mobile web and optimizing custom content for smaller screens is a necessity – not an option. However, search engines and browsers look much different via mobile technology, which fuels strategic approaches to mobile SEO. Fortunately, enough research is available to marketers that making the right design choices is fairly simple.

Where do Americans search for website content?

The research firm comScore released its February 2013 U.S. Search Engine Rankings report to provide brands with ideas on where to focus their internet marketing efforts for wider reach. According to the data, Google maintained its significant edge over the competition with 67.5 percent of the market share – up 0.5 percent from the previous month. Microsoft’s Bing search engine increased its grip on the search landscape by 0.2 percent to level off at 16.7 percent of total searches. Sites like Yahoo! (11.6 percent), Ask Network (2.6 percent) and AOL, Inc. (1.7 percent) followed well behind both Bing and Google.

These metrics aren’t specifically centered on mobile queries, but they give clear insight into which networks businesses should optimize their custom content for and the percentage of leads they have the opportunity to reach via their efforts. Overall, February 2013 saw 18.3 billion explicit core searches, with Google and Bing making up 15.3 billion of them.

What mobile browsers do consumers use for search?

Most marketers realize the extent of Google’s reach, but fewer professionals know which search engine browsers reach the most mobile users today. A study from Net Applications, a site that monitors web traffic, recently released data that showed Apple’s iOS browser Safari won 61.79 percent of all mobile traffic in March 2013. Safari served 6 percent more internet users last month than in February 2013 (55.41 percent). Android’s default browser holds the second spot with 21.86 percent of the overall market share – down from 22.82 percent in February 2013. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer application holds less than 10 percent of the total market share.

What does this mean for marketers?

Brands must optimize their mobile content for both Google and Apple’s Safari browser. With these access points generating the bulk of online traffic to websites in 2013, optimizing media to look and perform well is a must for greater content ROI and lead generation.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.