Having a presence on the mobile Internet is increasingly vital for a local business. Millions of consumers now search on their iPhones, Blackberries and other mobile devices to find what they need. In its first year, for example, the DexKnows.com mobile app saw local business searches skyrocket.

But standard websites don’t convert well to tiny mobile phone screens – they are slow, hard to read and hard to load. To gain traction with mobile consumers you need a streamlined site designed specifically for the mobile web – a costly and time-consuming step most local businesses have delayed taking.

One way to get a powerful and effective mobile presence instantly and cheaply is to register and set up a .tel domain for your business or brand. This is not like other domains or websites. The .tel domain is completely standardized. Everyone’s site looks essentially the same, listing phone contacts, store of office locations, email addresses, websites, social networking pages, map location link, special deal information and – importantly – keywords.