• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, February 19, 2013

Search marketers need to consider optimizing landing pages for near field communication-enabled (NFC) phones. They are being driven by mobile app developers finding ways to integrate the technology into everyday use.

An Android device app from Attido Mobile now provides the ability to share or redeem coupons through Apple's Passbook on iPhones, which stores coupons, tickets, and store loyalty cards. The tool, PassWallet, taps near field communication, providing insight into how NFC could increase use of Apple's Passport app.

PassWallet was developed to allow Android and BlackBerry users the access to Passbook files typically received by email and redeemed at the point of purchase by presenting an on-screen 2D barcode to a POV reader, reports NFC World.

The Mobile World Congress this year will showcase more than 100 unique NFC services and offerings. The event is the biggest mobile conference in the world, and the city of Barcelona is being NFC-enabled for it. In a post on the NFC LinkedIn forum, Einar Rosenberg, CEO at Narian Technologies, told the group he knows of more than a dozen major announcements related to NFC coming out next week. He points to more than 200 phone models offering NFC-embedded technology from all but one manufacturer.

In a recent post, Juniper research analysts describe positive and negative attributes of NFC deployment, focusing on Isis, the MNO-led, NFC-focused mobile wallet initiative that caught the attention of Apple. It was initially scheduled to launch last summer, but instead slowly rolled into Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah in October.

If you have purchased a pair of Jaba headphones lately, the newest devices come equipped with NFC chips to support motion. The company said technology in the headphones will "intuitively follow your every move, and with the latest NFC technology for fast pairing, you simply tab the headset with your NFC enabled devices to connect."

Regardless of the trials that merchants continue to go through with NFC technology, marketers need to consider optimizing organic and paid-search ads to support NFC-enabled landing pages and content. The NFC Forum continues to push the use of the technology to support marketing campaigns, which will eventually influence paid and organic search results.