Time and again, marketers say that mobile is the future of search. And with over 6.92 billion smartphone users worldwide, mobile search is definitely here to stay.
According to Oberlo, about 63% of Google’s US organic search traffic comes from mobile devices. At the same time, the latest Google Consumer Insights revealed that 50% of smartphone users prefer to use the brand’s mobile site because they don’t want to download an app.
So what does this number soup mean for your business? Well, if you’re selling products or services on a website, now is the best time to focus on mobile search engine optimization.
Below, we discussed the basics of this strategy and the best practices our specialists can do for your website.
What is mobile SEO?
Mobile search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website for mobile devices. This way, your pages will be accessible across mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.
As the volume of mobile searches explodes, Google is now revamping its algorithms toward a more mobile-friendly search. True enough, Google rolled out mobile-first indexing in 2018 where they now use the mobile version of your website as the primary basis for your page ranking.
Many marketers call this update the “Mobilegeddon”. It pulled many “mobile-unfriendly” websites down from their high SERP positions. Also, it sent many marketers and SEO specialists scrambling to keep up with the massive algorithm change.
Fast forward to today, the mobile-first indexing algorithm remains king in search engine optimization. Any new website created after July 2019 went straight to mobile-first indexing as existing ones continue the exodus until March 2021. By that time, Google had switched all websites to mobile-first from its old desktop-first indexing.
Why is SEO for mobile devices important?
Okay, let’s take a break from the technicalities. Allow us to put all this information into perspective for your business.
With both search engines and internet users switching to mobile, it’s your job as a website owner to meet them halfway. Only then that your business will enjoy excellent online visibility, higher web traffic, and better conversions.
In a nutshell, here are the main reasons why our clients invest in SEO mobile strategies:
- It improves user experience. Mobile-friendly websites are easy to navigate, which means your potential customers will find it easy to take action. And when we say ‘action’, that could mean a signup, a quote request, or ultimately, a purchase.
- It reduces bounce rates. Mobile SEO will help you reduce bounce rates by making pages navigable, interesting, and clutter-free. And with reduced bounce rates, you have a higher chance of converting site visitors into customers.
- It costs less than an app. Developing an app is expensive, not to mention the upgrades and maintenance that you have to cover. In that case, mobile SEO can be a cost-effective alternative for your business.
- Your competitors are doing it. Wise business owners are now maximizing the power of mobile SEO. And if you don’t want to be left out, you can contact Top Position today to get started.
6 Best Practices For Mobile SEO Optimization
1. Create a mobile-friendly design
So why is a mobile-friendly design important? Here’s why:
- No need to create a separate mobile website. Your visitors can use and access the same page URLs across devices. There’s no need for you to create separate mobile URLs.
- Doesn’t require redirection. A mobile-friendly design will not require your visitors to be redirected to an optimized mobile page. This will speed up your loading time and potentially reduce bounce rates.
- Offers the best user experience. For a business website, UX can make all the difference in conversions. By giving your site visitors a navigable and intuitive mobile design, you’ll soon see it reflected in your sales.
2. Optimize your page speed
Take note that 53% of visitors will abandon your mobile site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. This is why you should optimize for speed as much as you would with a mobile-friendly design. Through this, your visitors will spend more time on your pages and potentially increase your conversions.
So how can you speed up your mobile site? Here are some tips from our SEO specialists:
- Create a page load strategy. In general, it will seconds for a visitor to engage with the interactive features of your website. In that case, it will be better to load their visual representations first, so users won’t stare at a blank screen for a long time.
- Compress everything (if possible). Large file sizes drag the speed of your mobile site. So if possible, compress everything that you can. You should use file types wisely, like WebP for images instead of the often space-consuming JEPG.
- Use caching wisely. You also need to help search engines identify which can be reused and what needs to be reloaded every time someone visits the mobile site. This way, browsers will save time taking ‘roundtrips’ to fetch everything all the time.
3. Optimize for local search
Did you know that 76% of people who make a local search on their phone will visit a physical store within 24 hours? Not only that, 28% of those searches will be converted into sales.
These are proof that local search is a crucial aspect of mobile website SEO. It helps your business get found by your target audience within a specific area. This also ensures that the mobile traffic your website gets is relevant to what you offer.
You can start this by optimizing “near me” keywords or phrases that include the city or state your business is in. By doing this, you’re narrowing down your playing field, which makes it easier for you to reach the right audience.
4. Optimize for voice search
Aside from its on-the-go design, mobile devices also offer the convenience of voice searches. In fact, about 27% of the global online population uses voice search on their phones or tablets.
In the past years, voice search has seen a big boom, with over half of the US population using voice search features daily. The rise of cloud-based voice services like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant has played a big role here.
So why do you need it for your business? Well, if you want to gain a market share of this massive voice search volume, it’s about time you optimize voice search as much as you do with text search.
For this, you need long-tail keywords, question keywords, and conversational phrases. Also, you should use conversational language in your SEO mobile website content.
5. Use mobile-specific meta tags
This includes title tags, meta descriptions, and viewport meta tags. Specifically, viewport meta tags give browsers instructions about your page’s scaling and dimensions on various websites. This ensures that every page will adapt seamlessly to any screen size.
Above all, make sure you optimize your keywords on these tags. Also, always use descriptive and unique meta tags to boost your SEO score.
6. Create a mobile XML sitemap
An XML sitemap is basically a file containing a list of your website’s most important pages (not all!). This way, Google can easily find, crawl, and index them. Also, it establishes the structure of your website, which is a crucial part of your search engine optimization for mobile.
To create an XML sitemap, you can use a sitemap generator of your choice. After that, you need to submit it to the webmaster tool of the search engine you’re ranking for, like Google or Bing.
PRO TIP: Consider putting quality pages higher in your sitemap hierarchy, especially if you have a big website. Also, always check your sitemap for errors that can easily hurt your indexing.
Need help with your mobile site SEO?
Knowing how to do mobile SEO is a challenging task, especially for busy business owners. So instead of stressing yourself over the technicalities, you can trust a professional team like Top Position to do it for you.
We have experienced specialists who will provide you with the SEO services that convert customers. This way, your website will become a revenue machine for your business.
Do you want faster results? In that case, you can consider our PPC management services to bring your website to the top of search results in an instant. Your sales team will surely get busy taking calls and processing orders.
Our marketing specialists can’t wait to help your business grow online. So if you’re ready for more revenue, contact us today to get a free estimate and consultation!
