Google GetMo to help UK businesses meet burgeoning demand from smartphone users

Google has unveiled a campaign to help UK businesses optimise their websites for use with mobile devices.

The company said that the GetMo initiative would aim to provide webmasters and developers with tools for optimising sites to run on mobile browsers.

Based on the company's GoMo US campaign, GetMo offers testing materials, developer guides and case studies designed to help businesses optimise their sites for mobile handsets.

The initiative will also aim to help firms locate and team up with third-party developers who specialise in building mobile sites.

The company said that the campaign is being launched in a booming market for smartphone handsets in the UK. Google noted that mobile searches have grown by 400 per cent over the last two years, with 84 per cent of UK users claiming to have looked up local information on their phones.

Meanwhile, the company claims, businesses have been unable to keep up with the demand and offer sites properly suited for mobile browsers

"As the smartphone explosion continues, more consumers are looking to engage with brands by searching for them on their mobile phone," said Google head of European mobile advertising Ian Carrington.

"Yet the majority of businesses don't have mobile sites or a mobile strategy for connecting with them."

The launch of the GetMo campaign also comes as Google looks to boost its own share of the mobile browser market in the UK. Recent analyst reports have shown that Google's Android platform has been increasing its market share in both the handset and tablet fields.