In this ever-changing world, where people are constantly on the go, the ubiquity of mobile searches cannot be ignored anymore. Neither can mobile SEO.
Did you know that approximately half of the global website traffic is generated by mobile devices? At the same time, with its “mobile-friendly” label, Google is favoring mobile-friendly pages.
With more and more attention given towards mobile-friendly pages, SEO for mobile has also become a force to be reckoned with.
As Matt Bush, the country director of Google UK, put it, “when it comes to mobile, it’s time to stop making excuses”.
Are you still making excuses and avoiding mobile search engine optimization? Then, keep reading to find out more about why mobile-friendly SEO is crucial for any business that functions in the digital age.
What Is Mobile SEO?
Mobile SEO aka mobile search engine optimization consists of optimizing your website for mobile devices.
So, what is mobile SEO about? It’s about offering your visitors a great experience no matter the device that they are using.
Naturally, with people spending more and more time on their mobile devices, mobile searches also increase. Consequently, mobile SEO should no longer be treated as an option but as a priority.
So, with the average American spending 5 hours and 24 minutes on their phones every day, it is no wonder that the importance of SEO for mobile is starting to be recognized. Besides, mobile-friendliness is, after all, about offering your visitors a positive user experience, and shouldn’t that always be the utmost priority?
Optimizing your website for mobile devices and focusing on mobile SEO may seem like going that extra mile, but, in reality, SEO for mobile, like SEO, is no Pandora’s box. Actually, the golden SEO rules are still present for mobile search engine optimization.
Mobile SEO Importance
One word that characterizes life in the 21st century? Fast.
Well, with mobile devices basically becoming extensions of our arms, the importance of mobile SEO also oughts to be acknowledged. According to ThinkGoogle, in 2018 there was a 900%+ growth in mobile searches for “near me…”. This highlights our society’s increased mobility and need to be able to conduct searches no matter where we may find ourselves or the device we may be using.
Think about it, one of the reasons why search engine optimization is so important is the fact that you can reach a wider audience if you do it right. Well, through mobile-friendly SEO, that audience becomes even wider. Having said that, mobile search engine optimization is all about reaching the right audience at the right time.
Besides, with Google boosting “mobile search rankings for pages that are legible and usable on mobile devices” and mobile-friendliness being considered a ranking factor, it is pretty much impossible to be doing search engine optimization without also focusing on mobile-friendly SEO. In truth, Google recognized that it “predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking”, and since 2019 mobile-first indexing has been enabled by default for all the new websites.
However, mobile SEO shouldn’t only be treated as a requirement, but also as a favorable practice because of the advantages it offers:
Improves loading time: Optimizing your website for mobile also means improving site speed, as a website should ideally load in one or two seconds.
Enhances user experience: Would you stay on a page that is difficult to navigate? Probably not. By investing in mobile SEO, you are not only improving the experience of your visitors who access your website on mobile or tablets, but also reducing the website’s bounce rate.
Increases mobile conversions: The chances of your visitors conducting desired actions such as filling out forms or clicking on the phone number increase if they can easily access and navigate your website.
Costs less than developing an app: Thanks to mobile SEO, you can reach a wider audience and join the mobile market without spending money on developing an app.
Mobile SEO Strategy
1. Implement Responsive Design
By using responsive design, you are essentially ensuring that your website’s content and elements automatically scale to adapt to the screen they are viewed on. So, integrating responsive design means that your visitors will be able to easily navigate your website, no matter the devices they are using.
This way, your visitors won’t get frustrated trying to zoom in and out or to resize the page, and, consequently, the chances of your website experiencing a high bounce rate will decrease.
2. Reduce Your Website’s Load Time
Did you know that even a one-second delay in mobile load times can influence mobile conversions by up to 20%? So, optimizing your site’s speed should be treated as a fundamental step in your mobile SEO strategy. After all, it is an ongoing job that cannot be ignored.
That being said, you can gain insight into your site’s load time thanks to Google PageSpeed Insights. Thanks to this tool you can find out not only how well your site performs but also what fixes it needs.
3. Create a Positive User Experience
Your utmost priority should be creating a positive user experience. If you aren’t doing that, all of your other efforts are useless.
While integrating responsive design also contributes to consolidating a great user experience, there are other factors you should be taking into consideration such as:
Use mobile-friendly pop-ups: While on a desktop pop-ups may only help with catching your visitors’ attention, on mobile devices they can create problems. From taking up the entire screen to not being able to close, there are many factors that you should be taking into consideration. Bottom line? Use them smartly and sparingly and, most importantly, make them easy to close so that your visitors don’t get frustrated.
Take into consideration the screen you are writing for: When writing for the small screen, you should be mindful of your sentences and paragraphs’ length. Similarly, the font should adjust and be smaller for mobile devices.
Implement easily identifiable CTA’s: Call-to-action buttons are the buttons that your visitors should click to perform desired actions. So, naturally, they should stand out.
Add an accessible navigation bar: How are your visitors supposed to navigate your website if the navigation bar isn’t easy to use? For mobile devices, the best navigation option is the hamburger menu.
The Time to Start Focusing on Mobile SEO Is…Now!
In this fast and ever-changing world, mobile devices have almost become extensions of ourselves. So, the necessity of mobile SEO cannot be ignored anymore. By doing this, you will only be hurting your business.
Reach a wider audience and rank higher in search engines by prioritizing SEO for mobile. Trust us, your business will thank you!
Not sure where to start? The team at CadenceSEO is ready to help! Contact us today and let us take your SEO game to the next level!
