Mobile visits are rising every year and as of spring 2018 they accounted for almost 65% of website visits. That’s a big number! This means you should have a mobile version of a website, and if you don’t then it needs to be your priority.
To make sure you have a mobile version of your website that can drive traffic, here are some tips that you can implement immediately. And for more information about mobile optimization, download our free SEO Guide.
Search engines reward websites that have a functional and intuitive mobile version. To meet a search engine’s criteria for indexing and ranking, you need to ensure that every facet of your website can be accessed by mobile users. You also need to consider that people use a variety of smartphones and tablets.
Your first step is to review Google Analytics. This will inform you just how many of your website’s visitors are using mobile devices. You could also learn how mobile users are interacting with your website. For instance, if you have a high bounce rate then you might need to rethink your mobile website’s homepage.
Remember, every choice you make with respect to SEO should be guided by analytics.
Here are some tips to optimize your mobile site.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is a type of web development that allows your website to detect what device it’s being viewed on. It then responds by adjusting to the size of the display. Since responsive design makes your site easier to navigate, search engines can give it a higher usability score which means it could potentially rank higher.
Design with the Finger in Mind
Mobile users navigate a website with their finger. This means your design needs to accommodate hand dexterity and have buttons that are big enough to avoid accidental touching.
You also want to make images, banners and buttons “finger-friendly” so you don’t have to stretch elements to make them bigger.
Local SEO
Mobile optimization can help connect customers to your business, and local SEO can play a factor. Users searching for a local business are typically viewed as “ready-to-buy” so by combining a mobile site with local SEO, you can bring them through your door or straight through to your online checkout.
This report by Google reveals that 50% of consumers who used their mobile device to perform a local search visited a store within a day.
To optimize your mobile website, include your city, province (or state) and neighbourhood (if applicable) in the meta description, title tag, H1 heading, alt tags and URL. You also want to make sure your business name, phone number and address appear as often as possible.
If you don’t have a mobile site, you need to get on it immediately. Contact us to discuss our approach to mobile optimization or call us at 647 849 1082 to discuss your online marketing strategy. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
