“How do I make my company mobile-friendly?”
That seems to be the topic du jour of the last few years as companies in all industries have tried to break into the new space with apps, mobile versions of their websites, or even completely new websites solely dedicated to the mobile experience. This week’s tip focuses on going beyond the thumb-oriented user interface and delves into the evolving world of mobile SEO.
Before we get to the meat and potatoes, it’s important to remember one thing: the search algorithm which Google uses for mobile search results is distinct from the one that provides you with results for your desktop or laptop (as a side note, your Kindle, iPad, or other tablet device is considered mobile as well). There is a separate crawler that indexes the results and prioritizes things differently. What are those you may ask?
- Local: Local results are more likely, so Google Places listings are key, as well as domains with local intent or local-oriented content. If local is embedded in your business model, you may want to implement a geo-targeted site architecture to enhance your local visibility.
- Autocomplete: Before you even get to type that third word in your search query, Google has already served you up five of the most likely phrases. This means that targeting long-tail is still relevant, but short keyphrases will win the day on mobile.
- Interactive Results: On mobile, when you are searching for something like weather, your Smartphone serves you up other options than pure search results, like finding the weather near your location, or showing you a relevant Google Places page. If you are targeting keyphrases like this, you may notice lower click-thru rates (CTRs) as people’s attention is drawn towards the interactive results.
- Android Users: They are always logged into their Google accounts, so personalized results show up more often. This may call for on-site messaging related to actions that can change personalized results, like “bookmark this site for easier access in Google.”
- Image & Video: Comparative testing has shown that video and image results are placed higher in mobile. This means video and image optimization is even more important in the mobile space.
- Less Filters: Google’s mobile search only has three main filters (web, images, and places) compared to desktop search. This means higher CTRs since users can’t target their desired content type as much.
- Site Speed: This is incredibly important for the mobile experience because who wants to wait more than five seconds for a page to load, even if it is on their phone.
- Link-Building for Mobile: Because local results are often prioritized, it’s important to reflect this in your link-building efforts. It’s crucial to get authoritative links from local voices if you want to boost your local external credibility.
Now, this tip is about going beyond mobile-friendly, but it’s important to remember that accessible user-centric design is a prerequisite. Having an organized set of pages with big buttons and readable text will beat any mobile site that forces the user to pinch and zoom their way to your content. Contact your SEO team for mobile SEO strategies or your UEX & Design team for finger-tapping finesse.