Not long ago, mobile devices were in a difficult position. The screens were too small to render enough useful information and navigation on such a device was tedious. Now, mobile devices in the form of smartphones and tablets have become the preferred ecommerce device for many people. The devices have evolved, so now it’s time for our thoughts around mobile SEO to change.
Smarter Not Dumber
The most useful change for the mobile market is responsive web design. This is a website design that adjusts sizes and positions of objects to minimize movement through a page to see the content. Images and ads move in relation to the content that the user is viewing. The goal is to present as much content to the viewer without much scrolling.
Because it was hard to present content to a mobile device, and navigation was time consuming, companies built sites specific to the mobile user. Unfortunately, these sites tended to be a watered-down version of the desktop version. These dumbed-down versions were not appealing at all and did not encourage ecommerce activity.
The responsive web design determines the type of device accessing it and make adjustments accordingly.
If your company cannot implement responsive designs, then create feature rich mobile sites.
Redirect to a Better Place
Create sub-domains, such as http://m.mystore.com, and direct your mobile traffic from your primary domain to these mobile pages. These pages need to mirror the content on the primary pages and make use of mobile features to ease navigation. Make keywords shorter so there is less typing on the mobile device. Don’t make mobile users have to zoom to see content, especially fields to be filled in. Reduce graphics so pages swill load faster.
The Expanding and Contracting Search
Mobile device users are most likely to perform searches for "local" resources. While on the move, they will search for a place to have lunch, a dry cleaner, flower shop or car wash. Your website should be able to handle local SEO pointers. With the advances in mobile analytics and localization, mobile users will be able to search for a local restaurant and get results with their specials for today. Mobile-ready sites should take advantage of these search location capabilities.
Social Networks Tie It All Together
The mobile user is a bigger consumer of social media than desktop users. Websites accessed by the mobile user should have convenient social media buttons to help people share your site or send posts through Facebook and Twitter. Also, any social media pages that you maintain for your company should make it easy for mobile device users to respond to discounts and deals.
It’s All About the Apps
Mobile users are keen on apps. Mobile apps are designed precisely for the mobile user. It’s extremely easy with an app to get information or perform some follow-through action like make a reservation or a purchase. Many companies are seeing this as the best way to connect with mobile users. They create their own app that can be downloaded for free to create an instant link to that mobile user.
Mobile As the New Internet Marketing Tool
As ecommerce gains popularity on mobile devices, you need to be ready to respond quickly. Mobile device users are quicker to make purchase decisions than the desktop user. Emarketing needs to be equally nimble to capture the attention of this market. The first companies to present themselves to these consumers will be the winners. As with your efforts to connect with the desktop market, your mobile SEO efforts need to push your company and content to the top of the users’ search results.