Google’s Eric Schmidt recently noted that mobile search is growing much faster than desktop search. As
mobile increasingly becomes a primary gateway to the Internet, it is crucial
for companies to incorporate forward-thinking SEO practices into their mobile
strategies to ensure their mobile sites are easily detected by search engines
and found by consumers.
The amount spent on mobile advertisement is
estimated to grow $19 billion by 2015 and 49% of mobile users in the US have
already used their devices to buy online in the last six months. Mobile commerce is expected to reach $119 billion in
sales by 2015. Mobile search is on the top list of the online shoppers. Mobile SEO plays
an important role in the success of your business. It is going to be the next
‘big thing’ for the ecommerce.
You can’t build an effective online marketing presence without
nuts and bolts of SEO. For instance keywords, quality links and rich content.
The next generation of online shoppers is no longer tethered to a desktop or
laptop, success of business will depend on mobile SEO. Handheld devices need to
deliver best results possible thus usability becomes a paramount concern.
For new mobile
marketing strategy, application becomes the centerpiece. To be successful, you
need to provide user friendly mobile applications. There are lots of tactics
and techniques available to accomplish that but making an attractive
application and taking it to the application store is not enough. Metrics will
provide you the data that helps in making your store popular and profitable.
Keep your mobile website focused. App stores rank a
website/application on the basis of keyword searches, applying algorithms that
relate to popularity and keyword relevancy. With the explosive growth of the
smartphones and Android ecosystems there is ample number of opportunities for
mobile websites and apps. It still has relatively simple algorithms and lower
competition.
More than 60% of consumers search for brands from mobile devices
before purchasing, and another 49% of mobile searchers made a mobile purchase
in the past six months. Businesses must view mobile as a significant piece of
their overall marketing campaigns that can drive substantial traffic and
increase revenue.
Here are some high level SEO strategies that brands can
implement into their overall mobile efforts to ensure they are getting maximum
visibility.
1. Develop a Device Agnostic Approach
Search engines incorporate various criteria in mobile browsers
to determine page rank. These factors include overall site performance,
usability, download speed and screen rendering. A fully optimized mobile site
that extends all functionality and key content from a website will rank higher
in search results than a website that has simply been reformatted for a smaller
screen.
For example, simply transcoding a webpage through the use of a
cookie-cutter template will strip it of key content, leading to incomplete
pages and decreased overall usability. Difficult navigation and broken pages
will result in a lower page rank and a negative user experience that
discourages repeat visits.
The type of devices that consumers use to search the mobile web
also factors into site ranking. Different mobile web browsers render pages in
different ways, which is why it is essential for brands to develop a device
agnostic mobile strategy that supports the wide variety of available mobile
operating systems.
For example, Staples’ mobile
site was developed to support all
web-enabled devices. To decrease bounce rate (when a user views only one page
on a site, but then leaves), brands’ mobile sites must automatically recognize
the consumer’s device as it loads, and render the page accordingly to ensure a
view that is best optimized for the user’s particular screen.
2. Leverage Traditional SEO Practices on a New Platform
Brands will ensure that their site stands out in a crowded
market by translating traditional web SEO practices to mobile. Common SEO
tactics that should be incorporated into all mobile sites include:
§ Appropriate
Keywords in Headlines and Text: Consumers use mobile for more
focused and task-oriented searches (i.e. for a specific location or product).
This is different from how most people search from a desktop computer. By
understanding consumer behavior, brands can anticipate queries and incorporate
key search terms into page text, increasing detection from search engines.
§ Relevant
Page Titles and Accurate Page Descriptions: Page
titles are one of the first factors mobile browsers use to determine where a
page will show in results. Similar to traditional SEO, it is important that
these titles reflect the terms that people use to search, increasing the
likelihood that the site will appear relevant and receive better page rankings.
§ Outbound
Links: Despite less real estate associated with mobile screens,
incorporating outbound links to relevant sources provides a more complete user
experience and associates the mobile site with other trusted brands.
§ Standard
Coding: The wide variety of operating systems supported by mobile
makes it extremely important for brands to follow valid HTML coding. Browsers
parse through HTML code to determine search relevance. Any errors or invalid
coding will result in broken pages and a lower ranking. Sites built in
accordance to standards will ensure a consistent experience across all devices.
The Future of Mobile Search
The rapid consumer adoption rate of
smartphones, coupled with increasing advancements in mobile technology, means
that mobile SEO is a powerful tool to move the needle on mobile traffic.
Next-generation coding languages like HTML5 can be
incorporated into mobile SEO practices to enhance a mobile site’s usability and
performance, resulting in higher page rankings in search engines.
Advancements in location-based search results
and integrated real-time social search results will further impact how
consumers use mobile search and how browsers position results. In order to
increase traffic to mobile pages and drive revenue, it is essential for brands
to think strategically about how to leverage common mobile SEO practices in
order to increase brand loyalty and maximize traffic.
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