Optimizing Mobile SEO in Mobile-First Era
To survive in 2020, you need to fix your mobile.
How does it feel to have the power of the internet in the palm of your hand, on the move? That’s exactly what our society is experiencing right now, in the mobile-first era. Google had announced that all new websites previously unknown to Google Search will be indexed using mobile-first indexing. Basically it means Google will start indexing and ranking web pages based on how it renders on a mobile phone instead of a desktop.
This move is clearly part of the company’s ever-continuing efforts to provide a more specific experience in accordance to the shift in the user behavior trends.
So, what does it mean for business owners and marketers?
As global smartphone use increases, so do the number of people searching on their mobile devices. It’s not exaggerating to say that mobile marketplace is now a bigger market than the conventional market. Google’s algorithm changes clearly show that it favors mobile-friendly sites. So, unless you bring your SEO practices in line with this trend, your website could be virtually invisible in search results.
Time to get your mobile SEO strategy ready!
Understanding Mobile SEO
Mobile Search Engine Optimization refers to the practice of optimizing websites combined with flawless viewing on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. With more than 50% of searches coming from mobile devices, business owners and marketers need to start paying attention to mobile optimization.
Moreover, 40% of people prefer to use mobile devices to complete the whole shopping process, from researching the product to buying it. It becomes more imperative thus to improve your mobile SEO strategy to increase the possibility of conversions.
Mobile SEO Strategies
It’s highly likely that mobile searches will continue to rise and this means, the majority of your target audiences will consume content via mobile devices. As such, you need to look after your mobile SEO strategy if you want to rank higher in Google search result pages.
#1. Increase your page speed
53% of online users will leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. As such, page speed is not only crucial for improving organic rankings, but also for keeping visitors happy and returning for more.
One way to speed up your mobile website is by employing the load the above-the-fold content before the below-the-fold content practice. It means, your mobile website should load the content a mobile user sees first prior to content they might see later from scrolling down the page. You could also optimize the images on your mobile site by scaling down the resolution, for instance, to increase the page speed.
#2. Make sure your website design is responsive
Responsive design means your site layout needs to be able to adapt to whatever device a user chooses to access it. Furthermore, the content and functions on the mobile site should be the same as its desktop version in terms of accessibility.
To ensure this, you might want to avoid pop-up boxes that take over the user’s screen, as it can affect the overall user experience. Paying attention to the design of the touch screen navigation to avoid accidental clicks is also great to provide seamless mobile experience.
#3 Have an excellent content strategy
Another crucial element in mobile SEO is content. Just like regular SEO, mobile SEO also commands optimization of your content for mobile users. From appealing headlines, having the right keyword intent, link-building, or in-depth, longer content, there are plenty of techniques you can implement to improve your mobile SEO.
One important note is regarding video content experience. Video content has a high potential to slow down page speed and not be playable on various mobile devices. To be on the safe side, avoid using the default video player and opt for the standard HTML5 tags. You could also include a transcript of your video.
#4 Integrate local SEO
How many of you seek the assistance of Google to find places of interest near you? Local SEO is incredibly useful to improve your organic ranking and to pull in customers from the immediate area. In fact, 18% of local searches conducted on smartphones lead to a purchase within 24 hours. Since many people travel with their mobile devices, it makes sense that you integrate local searches with your mobile site.
If you’re an e-commerce brand with multiple stores, having complete information of your company’s name, address, phone number, and call out actions, for example, is a great way to increase the chance of users visiting your website and physical stores.
#5 Optimize for voice search technology
Today, the majority of smartphone users use voice search technology. One way to optimize mobile SEO strategy with the rise of voice search technology is by utilizing LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords and answer boxes.
For example, you could use the possible user’s questions as subheadings or include lists or tables in your content. The key is to answer questions and deliver the right information in response to a voice search query.
In Conclusion
Today, quality SEO is no longer limited to the desktop. With mobile searches continue to exceed desktop searches, looking after mobile search optimization will definitely help you reach your customers where they are and create a better user experience for all your visitors.
So what mobile SEO strategies have you employed so far?
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