NY Dog Nanny's Mobile Makeover (gomobileads.blogspot.com)

With mobile web usage on the rise, companies of all sizes are clamoring to hammer out their mobile strategies, but some smaller companies aren't properly equipped to execute them. Google, friendly giant that it is, wants to help fix that. Today, they announced that they're offering a tool aimed at local businesses to help make their sites more mobile-friendly.

According to the blog post:

"Starting today, you can create a free mobile site directly from howtogomo.com using a tool powered by DudaMobile. This do-it-yourself site builder, customized specifically for GoMo users, easily converts regular websites into mobile-friendly sites in five simple steps. And it allows you to add features like a click-to-call button, mobile maps and Google AdSense. Sites that are created with the GoMo-DudaMobile tool will be hosted free for one year."

In a gesture of good faith (and good marketing prowess), Google gave three small New York businesses an early look at the tool, including dog sitting service NY Dog Nanny, Mexican restaurant Mexicue and limousine service Automotive Luxury. Google thinks that arming these companies with well-designed mobile sites will help increase their business.

We first reported on GoMo last year when Google originally rolled out the initiative. Back then, they existed primarily as a portal to match up businesses with mobile site designers. By partnering with DudaMobile, GoMo is now actually offering a platform for mobile site building, so that small businesses can avoid having to pay an agency to do it for them.

But like everything in this world, the GoMo site builder costs something eventually. Mobile sites will be hosted for free for the first year--after that, the hosting cost will be up to the business. C'est la fee.