It is really no surprise that online searches on mobile devices have outnumbered searches on desktops for several years now. Google anticipated this pattern, and began testing new mobile-friendly components in their algorithms.
It is too early yet to distinguish how great of an effect these components play in the existing algorithms, but it is likely to be compounded in the future.
Being successful in this digital climate requires an in-depth understanding of your potential users’ intentions, how your site appears and functions across different devices, and how potential customers use those devices.
Despite the fact that consumers prefer using mobile devices to browse and search the internet, there are still some companies out there who choose to disregard (or may be unaware) that their potential client base is largely on mobile,and aim all their SEO and marketing efforts to desktops.
As mobile web usage becomes more and more prevalent, these companies will likely struggle.
Has your business implemented and embraced mobile SEO and marketing strategies If not, better now than later. Click To TweetIf you already have, is it producing results? Are your strategies being executed properly?
Often we encounter smaller businesses that think they are mobile friendly when actually, they are not. There is a common misunderstanding that all a company must do to be mobile friendly is to make their desktop site smaller. The template, layout, design and even the content is the same.
What is the problem?
If every mobile device had the screen size and the computing power of a desktop computer, then there would not be much of a hiccup. This is obviously not case. While smartphones are getting larger displays, their small, “portrait-oriented” screen simply cannot properly render a website formatted for a “landscape-oriented” computer screen. The content is simply too small and the buttons wont be in the correct places.
Even the intentions of someone searching the web on a mobile device is different from someone using a desktop computer. The content must not only be shorter and more concise but it also must have a different message to cater to the different consumer intent.
A successful brand will have a strategy for both mobile and desktop devices.
How should the content on your company’s desktop website be different from its mobile version?
Here is how to initiate a successful mobile strategy:
1. Understand How Google SERP Works
SERPs (search engine results pages) are not exclusively determined by links and keyword usage. A second factor in determining where your website will appear in search results is the often-disregarded intention of the consumer.
Unique search queries with different intent will produce equally unique search results. Google has become so seasoned that when a web user searches: “How to find organic foods” he will receive a different results page than if he searched: “where is the closest grocery store.” The intentions behind both queries are different and Google accommodates that.
Though the intentions of web users searching on their mobile devices will be different from the intentions of those searching the web on their desktop. The same SERP concept applies. Most people browsing on mobile are looking for quick solutions, such as where to get something, directions to a place, or how to fix something. Google’s SERPs for them will be different from someone searching the web on their desktop.
People browsing on desktops are typically open to extra information pertaining to what they initiated the search for, they are more likely to complete a digital transaction, if they are not purchasing anything online, they are probably only browsing.
2. Do Homework on Your Mobile Device Keywords
No, the keywords people find your business via a mobile device will not be the same as those that found your website using a desktop. This is a common mistake which leaves the intense work of a well-planned mobile strategy in tatters.
It goes back to web user search intentions as well as the actual phrases or words they use in their inquiry. Most mobile devices have a text-to speech option which automatically transcribes their words into the search box. People tend speak differently than how they write, using different words and sentence structure. With other voice to text aids such as Siri, or Alexa, more mobile web search queries are mirroring how people speak.
Desktop and laptop users, however, are still just as likely to type a simple keyword as they are to verbalize their questions, so Google’s keyword analytics are still the most effective method to determine the keywords that these searchers are utilizing.
With the different sentence structure, vocabulary, and language of mobile website searchers, new and different keywords that are supplemental to your desktop website strategy need to be researched and incorporated.
3. Utilize Google’s AMPs
This has nothing to do with loud music. In February of 2016, Google launched what are called Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs). Mobile websites that integrate Google’s AMPs coding load quicker than those that do not. Not only will these mobile sites load more quickly, but Google will highlight them in specific places on a search results page.
Taking advantage of the prominent placement and faster page load times, Google AMPs are definitely worth the investment. People searching the web on their mobile devices often already know what they are looking for and they want to find it as quickly possible. A page that loads fast and comes up high in search results will be far more successful in getting page views and engagement.
4. Make Sure Your Website Content is Mobile Friendly
A fully mobile-optimized website will be simple to view and function effortlessly on even the smallest mobile screens. Images should be easy to zoom in on and the navigation should be direct and logical to follow. Google has a free tool that allows you to test the mobile-responsiveness of your website. As hinted at earlier, businesses need to create a responsive website as opposed to of creating a desktop website and expecting it to function across all devices.
5. Track Desktop and Mobile Analytics and Metrics Separately
You won’t know how effective your mobile strategy is if the insights are intermixed with the analytics and data of your desktop strategy.
You should track the engagement, traffic, page visits, and conversion rates for your desktop strategy separately than those of your mobile strategy.
6. Stay Focused on the Long-Term
It may be challenging to redirect your efforts toward mobile optimization if your brand has been solely focused on optimizing for desktop. Similar to other digital marketing strategies, success is not obtained overnight. It takes tenacious and comprehensive work over the long-term to see significant results.
As our world is becoming more reliant on mobile devices, more searches will be initiated on them, so developing mobile strategy sooner than later will benefit your online business in the future.
With the abundance of smartphones, tablets and e-readers, more people prefer using their mobile devices for searching the web and digesting content. Brands need to keep their websites up to standard to remain competitive in their industries.
Start with your brand’s existing mobile users (if you have any) and cultivate a design and content strategy based on their preferences and behaviors.
A mobile strategy is not simply making minor changes to your current desktop strategy in hopes of making it function properly with mobile.
Understanding how SERPs work, utilizing Google’s AMP, having a grasp of user intentions, designing a responsive site and tracking the analytics of your desktop and mobile sites separately are smart ways to start or enhance mobile strategy.
A website that is not responsive for mobile or other devices could miss out on a lot of potential business. Our professional, dynamic responsive designs deliver stellar results no matter which tablet, mobile or desktop your customers are using. Contact us today to learn how AdInfusion can make your company website work FOR you!
