With mobile internet users surpassing desktop internet users and Google creating a separate index for mobile friendly websites, having a responsive website is not an option anymore. According to Google, 50% of search queries come from mobile devices, but according to this report 58% of search queries in the United States come from mobile devices.
This development shows a paradigm shift in users’ preferences and behavior. Smartphones have replaced desktops, laptops and tablets as the preferred devices to access the internet. In today’s mobile dominated world, your website should be optimized for mobile search in order to reach the masses. Here are seven ways that optimize your website for mobile search and get loads of traffic coming to your website.
Implement Accelerated Mobile Pages Markup
Did you know that Google has integrated Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) listings with its mobile search? Surprisingly, most webmasters have not noticed that which is why we still see websites which are not taking full advantage this. There are numerous advantages of implementing accelerated mobile pages. Some of them are as follows:
- Inclusion in Google’s engine ranking pages
- Higher rankings
- Deliver more content in a single search result
- Optimized for mobile devices
- Enhances the reach of your content
Optimize Images for Mobile
According to Content Marketing Institute’s report, creating visually engaging content was the top priority for 51% of B2B marketers. The reasons were obvious. Visual content outperforms other types of content. In order to deliver visually engaging content on mobile devices, you will have to compress images so that do not take up too much space. This means images will load quickly, improving the overall user experience. Additionally, you should also have some basic knowledge about different image formats. For instance, PNG format is a great option for mobile websites because you can compress it up to 95%.
Get Rid of Flash
Gone are the days when Adobe Flash dominated the internet. Today, it is dying a slow death and there are many reasons for it. For one, the web design & development industry is follow a “less is more” approach so there is no room for flashy animations and effects. Vulnerabilities found in security, and poor performance, are only two reasons you should remove Flash from your website.
Need for Speed
Many studies have established a close connection between slower load times and high bounce rate. That is not the only thing a higher page loading time does. It can also push you down the search rankings. Yes, that’s right. If you look at top ten results on Google for any keyword, you will see that all these websites load almost instantly. Get rid of extra code and make your website nimble so it can load quickly. You can also use tactics like reducing the number of HTTP requests, optimize database queries and reduce the server response time.
Eliminate Pop Ups
Google has been on a mission to deliver great user experience to web users lately. For this purpose, it is pushing websites with pop ups down its search engine rankings. Google’s latest search algorithm is designed in such a way that it demotes websites that have annoying and obstructing pop ups, whether it is the mobile version or the desktop version of your website.
Full screen pop ups on mobile devices can hamper the web experience. You should remove pop-ups from your website in order to rank higher on Google’s mobile search index. Instead of using pop ups, you can achieve the same goal by placing CTAs in your page and using text hyperlinks with affiliate referrals for generating revenue. These alternatives will help you advertise your products and services and generate more revenue without being penalized by Google.
Tag Posts According To Mobile Searches
Have you ever noticed a difference when you search on a mobile device versus a desktop? Most readers may not realize it, but when we are searching for something on our mobile devices, we tend to make more spelling and grammatical mistakes. The reason is that we are distracted at that time. You can take advantage of this by selecting tags for each post based on mobile searches. This will also help you to rank higher on search engines.
Did you know that Google lets you enter more characters for the title tag on a mobile device than on a desktop? This means that you can use long tail keywords in the title tag, which increases your chances to rank higher because it specifically targets your target market. Unfortunately, very few businesses know this to take full advantage of it.
Publish Mobile Friendly Content
The way users views a website on a mobile device is completely different to how them view them on a desktop. Put yourself in the shoes of the user and look at your mobile website from that perspective. This will help you to arrange content on your mobile site accordingly. More importantly, you can place the CTA in the perfect place, an attention hotspot for the users. Conduct A/B testing of your mobile site to find out which arrangement of content is perfect.
It comes down to user experience. The better the user experience of your mobile site the more chances it has to rank higher. Whether you remove pop ups, reduce page load times or compress images, all these steps enhances the user experience of your website.
