The majority of internet searches are now being conducted from mobile devices, yet a staggering 34% of UK businesses still haven’t optimised their websites for smartphones and tablets. This means that a third of companies are missing out on a huge amount of business because their websites are slow and difficult to navigate on mobiles.
As mobile internet gets faster, it is expected that soon more people will access the internet on mobiles than on laptops and desktop computers, so if you haven’t already optimised your website, now really is the time to do so. Any SEO strategy should always be targeted towards the needs and wants of the users in your intended target market, and the needs and wants of mobile users in many case are different to that of desktop users.
Why should you optimise your site?
Not having a mobile site can seriously damage your brand. Not only does it look unprofessional, but your customers are going to feel frustrated when they’re unable to find information quickly and easily on your website, and their feelings of frustration will be transferred onto your brand.
Having a shrunken version of your website is no good. If customers visit your site on a mobile only to be faced with difficult navigation and slow loading times, then it is highly unlikely that they will stay for longer than a few seconds, and chances are they will try a competitor’s site rather than re-visit yours on a PC. However, if users do have a good experience with your site, then they are actually more likely to visit it again on a desktop.
Mobile users are different
People browse differently on mobile devices. Searches on smartphones and tablets are driven by speed and convenience and tend to be more goal-orientated. This means that your mobile site must enable visitors to find important information such as opening times and contact details quickly and easily.
Studies have shown that almost three-quarters of mobile searches trigger further action from the searcher such as visiting a company’s website, sharing information on social media or making a purchase. Most of these things happen within five hours of the search being conducted.
Shopping searches have a particularly high number of follow-up actions and mobile phone purchases are often impulse buys, so if you have an e-commerce site, it’s absolutely vital that your customers can buy things easily from you on their phones.
Tips for optimising your site
When optimising your site, make sure you think about your visitors and what their goal is most likely to be. For example, if people will be looking to locate your shop, then make sure your address is easy to find.
Your company’s key selling points should stand out, and all information on your homepage should be short and to the point. All content needs to be easy to read and the call to action must be recognisable.
Once your site is ready, log on with your smartphone or tablet and ask yourself these questions:
- Does it load in less than three seconds?
- Do the call to actions stand out?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Is it easy to contact you?
- If e-commerce is it easy to make a purchase?
- Is your geo map and location easy to find?
If the answers are yes, then you have the foundations in place for your mobile SEO.
