Mobile search engine optimization (SEO) is quickly becoming the norm. Mobile search has been outpacing desktop search for years now, and that number will continue to climb.
What’s more, Google is switching to a mobile-first indexing of content, which means it now favors the mobile version of a site when it ranks pages for SEO.
This means that companies that don’t have a mobile SEO strategy in place this year will be facing an uphill battle if they want to stay competitive. Since there’s no time like the present to implement changes, we’re sharing the following guide.
Mobile SEO tips to help your business this year
Here is what our experts recommend for optimizing your website for mobile search:
- Don’t overcompensate — We know we were just talking about how important it is to have a mobile SEO strategy, but it bears saying first that many of the SEO fundamentals are the same for mobile and desktop. You still want quality targeted content, strong linking practices and a quickly loading site. And desktop search isn’t going away anytime soon, so you still need to provide a good user experience that balances both mobile and desktop. Going too far in the direction of mobile could risk hurting your user experience, and ranking, among desktop users.
- Make sure your website is mobile friendly — Your site needs to be readable without pinching and zooming. It should load quickly for people with a wide range of data connections. All the functions that work on desktop should work easily on mobile. These and other factors are what Google and other search algorithms are looking for with mobile-first indexing.
- Think about voice-based search — More mobile users are using the voice-based search function on their devices. This means that searches are becoming more conversational and less keyword driven. Keywords still matter, but content should be created in a way that answers many of these more conversational-based searches.
- Optimize content for people on the go — Mobile users tend to favor shorter content that requires less scrolling down. Find ways to keep useful information “above the fold” where someone would have to scroll down. Keep core functions “sticky” without being intrusive if people do scroll. Ensure that your content is properly formatted for location-based searches.
Putting these practices into play is a great start for building a long-term mobile SEO strategy.
Burg & Co. knows how to balance SEO
Our SEO experts have decades of combined experience helping top brands balance their SEO strategy not just between mobile and desktop, but also with other channels, including social media marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and content marketing. We’ll help you create an integrated, future-oriented strategy designed to build your brand, achieve your goals and see a positive return on your marketing investment.
To learn more, contact us today. We’ll be glad to perform a free marketing consultation to help you understand your mobile SEO needs.
