Google has a stake in everyone going mobile. That’s because Google is in the advertising business. It also explains why Brian McDevitt, the head of Mobile Display at Google,

Welcome to Google Land in Washington, D.C. (Photo by S. Abrams)

came down from New York to participate in the DC AD Club’s recent event, “An Evening with Google,” at the ubiquitous search firm’s office in our Nation’s Capital. AD Club members were there not only to network but also to learn more about mobile advertising as they plan mobile strategies for clients. Dan Taylor, Director of Google’s Display Network, and based in the D.C. office, also gave a presentation on search.

While statistics are dull and boring, one that McDevitt wanted the ad agency crowd to understand, did grab everyone. Google did a poll of its top 800 accounts and found that nearly 80% of large online advertisers do not have a mobile optimized site. In fact, according to McDevitt, by the end of 2011, over half of Americans will have a smart phone. Opportunities abound but companies are not moving fast enough.

Following this revelation, one audience member asked, “Should I redo my client’s website and then the app or just do the app?” McDevitt gave his answer in the form of a question: “Where is your audience?” On the move, of course. Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area now has people commuting from Perrysville, north of Baltimore or from Virginia’s Richmond to the district for work everyday,  people need information and data. As Professor Yaros explained in class, mobile devices offer you to be connected and have data with you all the time. Having app allows you to be everywhere with your customers.

Taylor’s presentation explain that search is a highly competitive space. And according to Google’s Eric Schmidt, users are just one click away from the competitor. For that reason, the company is conducting at any given time,  50 to 200 experiences on how to make search better. The experiments are not announced but done in a way that customers start to compliant, the new method is pulled back. We the customers are used as testing materials.

The presentation was to include Google’s Social Search but the video failed. Google is going to link your Google profile page to link to other accounts such as Linkedin or twitter account. All in an effort to get you to continuing using the computer and not let you out of its site.