We have seen the internet grow tremendously in the last couple of years. Since it’s beginning, the internet and other technologies have helped the world evolve in a technology-driven era. People nowadays grab their phone first after they wake up to check up on their latest text messages and emails. In fact, out of all the people who own some sort of technology that is connected to the internet, very few can actually attest to the fact that they can go a day without looking at their phone or utilizing any type of internet-enabled technology.
While mobile phones and computer screens that people expose their eyes on to on a daily basis are known to contribute to vision problems and even cause people to spend more time sitting in front of the screens rather than spending time in the gym, businesses are on the lucky side here. As more people gain access to the internet and start to browse the internet for information/services/products, businesses are laughing all the way to the bank as they are also able to utilize the internet to their advantage. That’s by putting their products and services in front of their target audience. Right on the devices, they are using to access the internet.
The Importance of Internet Marketing in the Modern Business World
Before considering some important facts that business owners need to be aware of in regards to mobile SEO, let’s first take a look at some statistics about internet marketing, as well as consider why internet marketing plays a vital role in the success of business in the modern world. We will focus primarily on search engine optimization to provide more specific details in relation to the purpose of this article.
According to HubSpot, 51% of mobile users have found a company they were not aware of before after they have conducted a Google search on their mobile device. Additionally, as much as 48% of all consumers tend to utilize a search engine. With Google being the most popular when they would like to research a brand, company, service or product.
More and more businesses are also starting to realize that mobile users are becoming their primary customers. While most people used to shop and browse the internet from a desktop device, more and more people now are turning their phones on to search the internet in the modern world. According to Venture Marketing, at the current growth rate of mobile advertising, by the year 2019, as much as 72% of the average internet marketer’s digital marketing budget will go toward mobile advertising solutions.
Without internet marketing, a company’s target market would not be aware of their website. Thus leading to an insignificant amount of website visitors. Meaning the company wasted their money and precious time on creating such a website. An effective internet marketing strategy, however, can help a company drive thousands of potential customers to their website. Thus increasing their sales and help the owners put more money into their pockets.
What Should You Know About Mobile SEO?
Mobile is the future of the internet and the online business world. There are more people browsing the internet from their smartphone in the modern world than there are people browsing from a desktop device. Statista estimates that the global amount of smartphone users will reach 2.32 billion by the end of 2017. With internet access becoming available in more areas that did not have access previously and data prices also decreasing continuously, more people are also gaining access to the internet on their smartphones.
While mobile paid advertising solutions are available, a lot of companies are finding that optimizing their search engine optimization strategy to “think mobile” offers them better long-term benefits. This allows them to rank higher for particular keywords in Google and other search engines. Thus allowing them to drive high-quality, targeted traffic back to their websites.
Mobile SEO Facts
Let’s take a look at 10 mobile SEO facts that are important for any business transitioning to a mobile-first approach. These facts should be taken into account when it comes to their mobile SEO strategy.
1. The Internet Has Transitioned into A Mobile-First World
As mentioned before, people are now rather picking up their mobile phone to access the internet. Gone are the days where we had to boot up a computer or power on the laptop. Today, we simply grab our smartphone, click on the web browser and we’re ready to start browsing the internet. Not only browse, but mobile websites now allow us to buy items directly from our phones, without ever having to open up a web browser on the computer. It is important for all businesses to accept the fact that the internet is not what it used to be. It would be better to adapt to the transition to a mobile-first world.
2. Mobile Internet Usage Surpassed Desktop Internet Usage In 2016
In 2016, BGR reported that, for the first time in history, more people accessed the internet from a smartphone as compared to internet usage from a desktop device. While desktop usage surpassed smartphone usage during the past years, in October 2016, things changed a little. During this month, desktop internet usage only accounted for 48.7% of internet usage. The rest accounted for mobile usage. While it is never too late to catch up to the latest advancements, especially in the business world, it is vital to ensure mobile users are able to access your website with no problems if you truly wish to be ahead of the curve.
3. Optimizing An SEO Strategy For Mobile Devices Does Not Have To Be A Pain
One of the most significant problems that companies have when it comes to mobile SEO is the fact that they tend to think such a strategy is extremely difficult to implement and that they may have to change the way they are currently performing SEO completely. This is not true. Optimizing an existing SEO strategy to have a mobile-first approach is actually much easier than most think. While there are some differences when compared to traditional SEO, the changes usually do not take up much time. Also, this would all be contributing to improve Google ranking.
4. Headlines Should Be Constructed To Be More Captivating
The very first change that most companies need to make to their existing content strategies when adopting a mobile SEO campaign to help them reach more mobile users is the headlines of their content. It is important to note that mobile users tend to browse the internet with much smaller screens than desktop devices. For this reason, it is important to keep headlines simple and short. But also to ensure they are creative. Make sure a person searching for something that relates to your website will be able to clearly understand what your website is able to offer them through the title of each post you publish. In addition to the title, be sure to follow similar principles throughout other headlines in the content.
5. Visitors Should be Offered A “Sneak Peek” Into The Rest Of The Content
People browsing from smartphones are often in search of a quick answer to a particular question they may have. This means that they are often in a hurry. With this in mind, it is important not to bore them with long pieces of content that they have to read through in order to get a simple answer to a question. Try to include a “sneak peek” into the entire article at the start of the content. This could be in the form of a short introduction that summarizes the important points shared in the content. Even a quick fact cheat that offers pointers to the most vital information provided in the content would be fine.
6. Different Devices With Different Screen Sizes Must Be Considered
A lot of companies optimize their website for mobile users, but only test the website on one device. It is important to note that not all mobile devices share the same screen size. In addition to this fact, different phone screens feature different resolutions. Thus, it is a good idea to test a mobile version of a website or the responsiveness of a website on different devices. The Screenfly tool by Quirk Tools is one excellent example of a tool that can be utilized to serve such a purpose without having to have access to multiple devices.
7. Mobile Strategy Must Be Simple, Yet Creative
When you browse the internet for information, products or other data, you are sure to come across some very creative web designs. Many of these web designs tend to feature advanced CSS tricks, animations and other features that make them unique. Sometimes these websites are also very interactive. Unfortunately, mobile screens are smaller than desktop screens. Also, at the same time, that does not allow for the same features to display and work appropriately on such a screen. If the desktop version of your website features a creative design, see if you can opt for something simpler as your mobile site. This will ensure all mobile browsers are able to access your website no matter the device they are browsing through.
8. Loading Speed Is Very Important For Mobile SEO
Google has repeatedly provided information on the importance of improving the loading speed of their website. When it comes to mobile SEO, this particular factor becomes even more important. People searching for information from their smartphone are often in a hurry. Meaning that these people would not like the fact that they may have to wait for your website to load.
9. Social Media Has Also Gone Mobile
While optimizing a website for mobile SEO, it is important to remember that their website is not the only site on the internet that has gone mobile! Even social media websites have started to prioritize their mobile layouts and attract their mobile users by featuring specialized applications and sometimes even features that are exclusive to their mobile users. Whether a company is utilizing social media to represent their own brand or as part of an influencer marketing strategy, it is important to continue optimizing for social media. Hence ensuring that company’s social media following knows they are able to browse the brand’s website from their mobile devices.
10. Don’t Neglect Your Desktop Visitors
Finally, I want to place emphasis on the fact that all the recent media publications that encourage businesses to take a mobile-first approach to their web design, advertising, and search engine optimization strategies have caused many businesses to forget about their desktop visitors. It is, however, still important to note that, even though a large number of people may be visiting your website from a mobile device, there are still thousands that can visit your site from a desktop device. Thus make sure to cater to these visitors as well.
Conclusion
The world has evolved considerably since the rise of the internet. Today, a business is considered less successful when it does not have a presence online. There are even some companies that entirely operates on the internet without ever consulting with a customer face-to-face. For online success, however, an effective marketing strategy is needed. SEO plays a major part in an effective internet marketing strategy, with the primary goal of improving Google ranking of the particular website. In the modern world, it is not only important to consider the strategies utilized for improving a site’s appearance on Google, but also to ensure a strategy is optimized for mobile users, especially since mobile internet usage has recently surpassed the number of people browsing the internet from a desktop device.
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This article, “Cracking the Mobile SEO Code: 10 Things Every Small Business Owner MUST Know” was first published on Small Business Trends