We’ve all heard the joke that people have their phones “permanently glued” to their hands. Not only is it difficult to resist the draw of social media or group chats with your friends, but you also have a world of information at your fingertips. It seems like it’s impossible not to search up every random question or issue on your phone as soon as you think about it. Accordingly, Google has started to prioritize mobile websites.
Mobile-first indexing refers to the mobile version of websites being prioritized by the Google algorithm on search engine results pages. That means that without a website that’s optimized for mobile devices, your healthcare business is unlikely to find search engine optimization (SEO) success.
By understanding why mobile-first indexing is important for your healthcare business, you can be sure that you’re allocating enough resources to mobile optimization for successful SEO efforts.
How your healthcare business can appeal to mobile-first indexing
Have you ever clicked on a website on your phone that just wasn’t built to be used on such a small screen? The photos don’t appear, links aren’t working and the navigational menus aren’t formatted in an easy-to-use manner. These are all signs that a website isn’t optimized for mobile devices.
If you want your healthcare business to be in good standing with mobile-first indexing, here are some features that can ensure that your website is fully optimized for mobile users:
- Responsive design — The website should be easily adaptable to small screens, such as adjusted layouts.
- Quick loading speed — Try to have a mobile page loading speed of three seconds or less. Google has created Accelerated Mobile Pages, an open source project. It allows sites to have a framework for fast-loading mobile pages.
- Simple navigation — Be sure that any menu is as easy to click through as possible, such as a hamburger menu with easy buttons.
How to achieve responsive design and mobile usability for mobile-first indexing
User experience is a primary contributing factor for search engine optimization. The goal of mobile-first indexing is to make sure that people are able to have a valuable experience when they explore websites on their phone, which has become the go-to way to access sites. For a healthcare business, the user experience is all about engaging with the user and encouraging them along the patient journey.
Since responsive design and mobile usability are essential for user experience, the following practices are worth trying:
- Avoid difficult features — You want to make sure that your site is engaging, but you shouldn’t have too many complicated features that could interfere with conversions. Examples include interactive pop-ups or complex conversions.
- Be minimal — A site can still be exciting while being minimalist. Be sure to keep the layout as simple as possible to avoid a cluttered page with unresponsive design.
- Compress images — Optimize your images by compressing the file sizes so that they’re properly displayed on a small screen while still being integrated into the page layout.
- Use easy-to-read fonts — Be sure to use font styles and sizes that translate well onto a mobile device, such as General Sans and Arial.
Why it’s important to have a mobile-optimized website for your healthcare business
Not only does having a mobile-optimized website for your healthcare now benefit you due to algorithm indexing, but it can also provide a variety of benefits that help your online growth, including:
- Increased engagement — Users who are unable to properly explore your site won’t be able to engage with your content. By giving them the opportunity to navigate around your site on their mobile device, without any lack of valuable information, you’re likely to have an increase in engagement to show what they are actually drawn to.
- Boosted conversion rate — It’s good practice to nudge each user in the direction of sharing their information or booking an appointment. When they use their phone out of convenience, a user should still be able to complete those conversions. A high conversion rate helps with patient acquisition.
- Wider reach — When you’re trying to increase your online visibility, you want to get your website in front of as many users as possible. By making sure that your site is easy to use on a mobile device, you’re broadening the scope of your SEO efforts and being seen by people who may only have access to a mobile device as opposed to a desktop.
Want to attract new visitors to your healthcare website through mobile-first indexing? BURG+CO. can help
Increasing traffic to your website plays a role in increasing conversions and leading to new clients. However, it’s difficult to attract visitors to your site when you don’t know what to do. Fortunately, this is what we specialize in at BURG+CO.
Our team has years of experience in helping businesses improve their digital presence to attract new leads and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about digital marketing or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
