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Go mobile SEO or go home

By Ewan Stevenson

July 25, 2013 | 6 min read

Google recently announced that mobile site optimisation would be a factor in search engine rankings. This was the first time that Google explicitly advised that sites with smartphone issues would not rank well in smartphone SERPs.

We are reaching the tipping point for mobile. With penetration reaching endemic levels, it would be unimaginable to foresee a world where mobile browsing becomes less pervasive, so if you’re not too worried about mobile visitors… well you should be, because its mobile or die. Technical scrutiny isn’t the only adaptation being demanded by mobile users, search language and behaviour has evolved, with Siri representing the first steps towards the integration of search into a real world environment. Search intent hasn’t changed drastically but natural phrases such as “Where can I find a really good hairdresser?” are beginning to replace traditional, constrained search terms. As SEO’s we have to evolve our approach to search with new opportunities to use language in innovative and persuasive ways, appealing not only to longer-tailed queries, but effectively utilizing presupposition to encourage desired outcomes. Google splits mobile devices into two categories, Feature phones, that can’t render desktop websites at all and smartphones (iPhone/Android/Tablets) which are capable of browsing normal webpages. It’s worth remembering that whilst iPhone and Android phones can view these sites, they don’t convert well with the issues posed by scrolling/zooming etc. Smartphone users now make up the majority, and from the figure below we can see that Smartphone penetration is set to rise dramatically with the increased provision of 4G networks and falling prices of handsets.
Google has endorsed responsive website design, a method that can serve up the same content to a variety of devices with different screen sizes to best suit the needs of the mobile market. A site employing responsive design can adapt the layout based on the viewing environment, using fluid, proportion-based grids, flexible images and CSS3 requests. Before everyone goes out and requests a rebuild from their developers, there is an alternative method, called dynamic serving, where different content can be viewed by varying devices either using the same URL (if HTTP headers are modified) or via separate mobile URLs, but each method has its benefits. If dynamic serving is implemented, using separate mobile URLS i.e. m.facebook.com, this can result in people linking to both the desktop and the mobile site. Whilst Google does now treat subdomains as part of the same domain entity, it’ll be easier to track and reclaim external backlinks if only one URL serves all. Multiple crawls also must take place when using dynamic-serving, which can cause delay to new content being indexed. This method also relies on redirecting user-agents, which can be error prone. The greatest justification of this method is the option to serve very different content to mobile users as opposed to desktop users. This can be crucial not only for the user experience, but also in terms of SEO, as a responsive site would not be able to compete for mobile keywords without potentially damaging the desktop keyword relevance. Responsive design testing can be problematic when issues occur on one device but not on another, where a middle ground cannot be found to suit all devices. Dynamic serving overcomes this problem by segmenting the potential devices and offering varied content to these devices individually. In practice responsive design will have more relevance once advertising and promotional banners become flexible and fluid. • Social / Behaviour 53 per cent of men use smartphones in-store to check prices at other storesTo decide whether you need tailored content for desktop/mobile users, assuming that costs are not the bottom line, you should examine the behaviour of your audience. Are your products/offerings usually purchased with little consideration time? Or do customers return months later to make the purchase?As behaviour becomes more diverse and dependent on location and activity, our content needs to be better prepared to transcend platforms fluidly.• ContentWith Dynamic-serving and HTML5, us marketers have a great opportunity to use mobile-specific features such as the accelerometer, camera and GPS to create a web experience that feels more like software. Social ads are currently more effective than their desktop counterparts, at least for click throughs. This is partially because adverts on Facebook have moved away from the right rails and into users news feeds, appearing more “native” in their stream as a Facebook post or tweet. • Conversion Rate Optimisation for MobileFor every second delay in load time, conversion rates drop by 7 per cent on average Page load times aren’t an important factor for ranking, but with the meteoric rise of smartphone use we can only expect the significance of site speed to increase commensurately. Over the last 10 years, page load times haven’t changed much, which is odd considering that our internet infrastructure has come on leaps and bounds. The reason for this is a simple one; we all appreciate a pretty picture and brands have been keen to thrust every aspirational, bandwidth hogging bit of artwork they have under our impressionable little noses. The key question remains, is there a stage where adding more images can work against conversion, through the extra delay caused to load times? Takeaways:1. Mobile site issues are frustrating and they result in disenfranchised customers. They affect over half of your audience, so it’s time to start planning a holistic SEO strategy that treats mobile management with the respect it deserves.2. Study your audience’s behaviour before you make your decision on Responsive VS Dynamic Serving. Carry out surveys, read your reviews, data-mine your organic keywords, read your on-site search logs but most importantly, ask your friends and people you know for neutral feedback. Would they a) use keywords you compete for on mobile b) be put off by content aimed at a different demographic. 3. My tip for increasing mobile specific rankings in 2013 is Google+, collect them like pennies, and they’ll breed pounds with the enhanced visibility.4. We are now seeing many movies being released simultaneously in Cinemas, on DVD, on Demand TV and Online, and this is a perfect example of how our content needs to be delivered seamlessly across as many platforms as possible to ensure target reach is achieved. The key now is establishing a framework for content distribution. Looking at social media we can see how “native” advertisements have penetrated the platform, showing increased CTR rates over organic search, a key indicator that there is an audience out there for our promotions, they just want it on their own terms. Ewan Stevenson is SEO manager at 7thingsmedia

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