Mobile Ranking Factors 2020: Is Your SEO Mobile Friendly?
With the number of mobile users increasing across the world, the concept of “mobile-first” is becoming very crucial for businesses to take into account. Especially when creating a website or an application, mobile-friendliness is an essential factor to consider. Mobile-friendliness is also a necessary part of SEO strategies.
The primary focus of any business should be the experience of customers. In this regard, mobile SEO involves optimizing of the website for both customers accessing a site using mobile devices and mobile bots from search engines. But how exactly can mobile SEO help your business? We will find the answer to this query in the blog below.
What is Mobile SEO?
In principle, the term “mobile SEO” involves certain practices aimed towards optimizing a website for mobile users. With the advancement in techn, the number of mobile searches is surpassing the ones made with the help of desktops. In this regard, search engines now consider the user experience when ranking pages.
Main Differences Between Mobile SEO & Desktop SEO
There is not a considerable difference between mobile SEO and desktop SEO, especially if factors such as technical optimization, content, and links are considered. However, the distinction between the two becomes apparent, it comes to user experience.
Firstly, the way information is presented on mobile devices, and desktop uses different sets of benchmarks. For instance, the size of text links and buttons are larger on a desktop site, so users can quickly point at them. However, users have to deal with smaller screens, which can make it challenging to navigate.
On the desktop, Google displays more information on the screen. But on mobile, the search engine tends to cut the display, often before essential data can be seen. This usually occurs when title tags are not optimized for mobile usage. Mobile users also have various options to search rather than just typing the keywords, such as Google Voice Search and Siri. With mobile SEO, websites can be optimized to enhance the experience of mobile users.
How Can You Optimize The Site for Mobile SEO?
There are various techniques to optimize the website for mobile SEO. However, there are certain guidelines that are critical to the success of every SEO strategy.
Options for optimizing the site
Websites can be optimized using three different ways. One of them involves the formulation of a separate mobile version of the site. These sites have URL starting with the prefix “M.” This mobile version is independent of the actual website. When a domain is accessed by an individual, the browser identifies the device being used and directs them to either the mobile or desktop version of the site.
Accordingly, with the help of an SEO agency, you can create a mobile site natively for different devices. However, it can be an extra-added burden to maintain two different versions of the sites. There is another way to optimize your site instead called dynamic serving. This method employs the same URL, but it directs the user to the appropriate HTML pages according to the device.
With dynamic serving, you can optimize an appropriate code for mobile devices. However, this time you will have to manage two different codes instead of a site. The third option is where all of these problems get resolved. A responsive design can facilitate the experience of users regardless of what device they use to access it. Responsive design has the same HTML code on a single URL that can serve different versions of the site depending upon the dynamics of the user’s device.
Google Is A Helpful Resource For Optimization
As a search engine, Google itself provides numerous tools to support different tasks. The search engine offers various guidelines for optimizing the site in an appropriate manner. For instance, Google recommends explicitly responsive design for optimization. Tools like the Google Search Console can help by reporting mobile usability issues. It can also provide various solutions to solve them.
Some Factors To Consider for Mobile SEO
Various factors affect the user experience when using mobiles, as well as search visibility and rankings. In the section below, we have charted the most crucial ones.
-
The appearance of the content
The appearance or legibility of the content needs to be considered when formulating a mobile SEO strategy. If the content can only be read after squinting the web page, then many users will simply prefer to visit a different site.
This leads us to a critical tip – your content should not only be appropriately displayed on mobile devices, but customers should also not face difficulties when interacting with it. For example, 14-point font type is typically suggested for mobile pages.
Content is also preferred if it is written in a shorter paragraph, usually of two or four lines. In this way, the content becomes more readable. The contrast between the background and text should be strong, as some people use their mobiles in broad daylight so it can be harder to read the pages if the contrast is low.
-
Access to program files
Some SEO strategies prevent Google bots from accessing files that can otherwise help the search engine in indexing the page. Without adequate access, mobile crawlers can face substantial challenges.
Some CSS or Javascript comes with the code to analyze the page if it is mobile friendly or not. Using tools like Fetch and Render can prove to be useful. It is also suggested that a separate mobile crawl is created for the site, so the mobile crawler can fully access the pages.
-
Visible Content
An essential technique to provide streamlined UX experience on mobile is to display lesser content and features, as compared to the webpages on desktop. This can be done by removing some of the web content and hiding it behind JavaScript. Buttons like “Read More” are suggested by Google to support the user experience.
However, it is crucial that the mobile page shows content necessary to establish its authority. In this regard, content on a desktop page can be explicitly redesigned for the mobile experience. This usually involves the reordering of the information.
-
Search Behavior
It is important to remember that search behaviours differ across desktop and mobile. Google interprets the intent of the users through micro-moment. This interpretation impacts the structure of the SERP and the type of content visible.
Google tends to show a different number of videos and images at varying places if the same search is done on desktop and mobile. For instance, if you want to search how to contact a nearby restaurant, the desktop page will show a “Contact Us” page, but the mobile usually offers “Click to Call” button.
The length of the meta description also changes from desktop to mobile. Therefore, when creating descriptions, you should consider the guidelines of Google to optimize each of the user experience appropriately.
-
Speed of Page
Just like the web pages on the desktop, users don’t like slow loading time. This is why page speed is a crucial ranking factor. Even the seconds’ delay can reduce the conversation rates by a substantial percentage. Therefore, it is essential to maintain an efficient speed page. There are various tools that can inspect the page speed and evaluate the performance of your site. The insights into the page speed can help in eliminating the issues.
-
Your Business Information
If your business is located in a certain place and targets specific customers, then it is preferred that you include relevant information about your venture on the metadata and pages. When curated the mobile pages, it is suggested explicitly that your business information includes your standardize name, phone number, and correct business address. It is incredibly crucial that you add proper HTML tags, so users can call or get directions to your business efficiently.
How Can You Create Reports For Mobile SEO?
Reporting is also essential when it comes to implementing a strategy and analyzing its performance. Here is what you can do for reporting.
Technical optimization
SEO Companies can help you by showing whether your page complies with mobile ranking factors or not, such as page speed. Effective reporting also includes detailed recommendations for resolving the problems.
Performance in the Mobile Search
You should also know how your site performs for mobile searchers. This can be done by reviewing the mobile traffic and monitoring the visibility of your site on the SERP.
Final Words
With the evolution in mobile technology, the notion of “mobile-first” will only become more prominent. If you specifically want to improve the search visibility, you will have to focus on the mobile SERPs as well, instead of having a responsive design of your site only. Overall, it is crucial that your site promises an efficient UX experience for mobile users, so they can interact with your business instead of your competitors. Use the strategies outlined above in this blog to improve your site’s performance, enhance online visibility, and increase the conversation rates.