The reason why it’s critical to optimize your website for mobile is due to the fact that 125 million U.S. consumers own smartphones, and 62 percent have used it to make an online purchase in 2017.
As the continued rise of mobile phones advances, Google is aiming to improve user’s mobile experience and thus will be changing its algorithm and search engine rankings this July. Considering this change, it’s important that publishers understand the importance of not only having a mobile-responsive site but also restructuring their SEO tactics.
Mobile-First Indexing
Essentially, when you search for something on Google’s search engine, its “spiders” crawl through both mobile and desktop indexes to find the most relevant, useful and trustworthy answers. From that data, Google shows you a list of sites, ranking in order of popularity and authority. Starting in July, though, Google will be changing how it ranks their most prominent websites.
Google’s algorithm will be centered around its mobile index first. This means that if you only have a desktop version of your website, you could be missing out on valuable traffic. Additionally, if a site isn’t optimized for mobile, it might still be included in the index but it could hinder its performance as mobile-friendly sites will rank above a desktop-only website.
Here are three ways to qualify your site for Google’s search engine given the new algorithm changes:
Acknowledge Your Page Speed
Publishers can anticipate what they call, “The Speed Update,” meaning that Google plans to use page speed in mobile search ranking. In consequence, if a mobile website loads at a slow rate, it is unlikely that it will make an appearance on Google’s search engine. However, Google says that if a page has very strong content but is still slow, it may still rank highly. To be safe, ensure that your mobile site loads quickly as to avoid losing valuable visitors.
Examine Your Content
In order for Google to rank your mobile-site, it needs to be able to read it clearly. Therefore, make sure that the content on your sites desktop version is just as valuable as the content on your mobile version. Content should be easily digestible, relevant, use clear fonts and created with a mobile-responsive template to ensure that everything is crawlable and indexable. Additionally, all technical aspects should be performing efficiently on your mobile site, including equivalent metadata descriptions, social tags, and verifying your mobile search console on Google.
Ensure Easy Navigation
Your mobile navigation consists of menus and internal links, and the way it is structured on your site is an important part of keeping viewers on your page. If your site looks disorganized or confusing to navigate, your audience will likely leave, prompting Google to disregard your site in its search engine. Search engines rank your site by analyzing the structure of it to determine its primary functions and the keyword-supporting content within your page.
That being said, design your mobile site’s main menu with the most important pages determined by your visitors’ behavior. Make sure you’re also tracking which CTA’s are generating the most clicks and conversions to analyze what is or is not working well for your audience.
Your viewers likely don’t have a lot of time or patience, so make sure to always include a “search box” that is easily accessible, ensure links are redirecting to the appropriate landing pages, and that the menu looks the same on each page.
Ultimately, with the limitless amount of websites in this mobilized era, your viewers aren’t going to stay on your site if your website isn’t optimized for mobile. Your viewers aren’t going to become leads unless your page loads quickly, your content is valuable to them, and your website is easy to navigate.
To learn more about mobile optimization and how we can help your business, please contact us.