With mobile-based internet use increasing, it’s vital you adopt mobile-friendly SEO techniques. These 5 Mobile SEO tips will set you on the right path. A recent Mobile Path to Purchase Study performed by Nielsen for Google revealed that 74% of mobile users use search engines in the purchase process, and 83 % of mobile internet users intend to make the purchase on the same day.
This is the year when you need to step up mobile SEO if you don’t want to miss out on sales. But even as we see more people making searches and purchases with mobile devices a great many internet users prefer to use desktops or use a combination of mobile and desktop prior to making a purchase.
- Make the Site Mobile Compatible
Your site needs to be made mobile-compatible this year. According to the Bright Edge Mobile Share Report, mobile traffic increased by 125% while desktop growth was at only 12%. That doesn’t mean you can neglect old-fashioned desktop SEO because mobile internet users convert at only 1/3 the rate of desktop users. Whether you should focus more on mobile or desktop is down to who your target demographics are and what you need users to do while on the site. Know your product and know your target market.
- Increase Performance – Make it Snappy
If your site is loading slowly for mobile internet users, then they will probably lose interest and you will be losing sales. Research by the Nielsen Norman Group shows that Google thinks mobile pages should load in a second at most in order to keep the user engaged. If it takes any longer then users may become distracted. Despite this claim, Google also says that the average mobile page load speed is 7 seconds. If your site is loading faster than those of your competitors, then you have an edge. Load speed might not affect page ranking but it affects SEO because it affects user behavior. Anything that improves the user experience is ultimately good for mobile SEO.
- Keep the Design Clean
The messy design has messy consequences. If the site is not mobile-friendly then it will negatively impact the potential to engage and convert traffic. Making the text clear, with big buttons (easy to hit for chubby fingers) and most importantly clear and bold call to action, will pay off big time in terms of mobile traffic. You must be willing to sacrifice any design features that are getting in the way of mobile usability. In fact, you should just ditch any superfluous design features, then you will increase the loading speed. Keep your priorities in order! This may upset the design team, but so what?
- Remember User Intentions
Google’s new Hummingbird algorithm means that Mobile SEO strategy must be conscious of user intentions, voice searches and conversational search queries. If you are to understand the intentions of mobile-based internet users, you must recognize that they will be different from those of desktop-based users. It’s quite likely that someone who accessed your site via phone is out and about and looking for quick solutions. It’s also likely that they intend to purchase something in the area. Google says that 69% of mobile internet users expect businesses to be within 5 miles of their location, and 55% want to purchase within the hour.
This information should be of interest to local businesses like restaurants and shops. Your mobile SEO strategy needs to involve making the address and contact details readily available and highly visible to mobile internet users. Having a Google+ Business page will vastly improve page ranking and conversions, so get on to that too.
- Think About New Search Methods
Conversational and voice searches are becoming more popular with mobile internet users. You need to consider this and the fact that not all words are easily understood by voice search functions. This impacts the kinds of keywords you can regard as viable. It is common for mobile internet users to ask entire questions rather than just searching for a few keywords and this should be taken into account too. That’s what is meant by conversational search terms.
These 5 mobile SEO tips are essential for successful results in the coming year. You must remain flexible though, as new software and user behaviors will alter the recommended SEO practices. Keep in mind that consumers use many different devices to access your site, and one shouldn’t sacrifice desktop-focused SEO for mobile SEO. Sometimes consumers return to a site via desktop with the intention of making a purchase of a product that they previously encountered via mobile. Keep your options open for maximum compatibility.
