The SEO landscape has altered inordinately in the past few years with the demise of traditional SEO as we know it. Practices such as link-spamming, keyword stuffing, comment spamming, backlink image stuffing are now things of the past; making way for rich content and enriching multi-screen user-experiences holding the key to customer attention and loyalty reflected in high search engine rankings. The most important development is the upsurge in the usage of mobile devices in almost every stage of the purchase funnel. With the phenomenal increase of mobile usage to consume and share information; search engine optimization is no longer just about desktop SEO but also includes mobile search results. Google has predicted that mobile search will overtake desktop in the next few years, which makes it more important than ever before for marketers to focus their efforts on enhancing discoverability on these devices.
Marketers are often under the impression that desktop and mobile optimization is one and the same; as a result, they employ similar keyword strategies and tactics for both. But they are far from being similar. The truth is mobile SEO differs significantly from desktop SEO mainly because it connects brands to its customers in a very different environment. In this post, we will give you tips on how to attract valuable search traffic from mobile devices.
Optimization Strategies for Mobile
Optimizing for mobile will differ depending on how your site is presented; whether it’s on a mobile platform, an app or a separate mobile site. Let us now discuss each of these scenarios:
Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design refers to the approach where sites detect and respond based on the visitor’s behavior and environment. This basically means that the website automatically switches to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities when viewed on different devices or environments.
Google prefers responsive design, so using this will direct crucial traffic to your site. However, before considering using responsive web design for your site, it is important for you to first analyze your visitors’ behavior on all the devices. If your customers are putting in different terms and concepts in different frequencies on their mobile devices than they are on their laptops and desktop computers, responsive web design will not work for you. In that case, you should consider a mobile website or a hybrid application.
App Store Optimization
App store optimization refers to a set of practices aimed at enhancing the discoverability quotient of mobile applications. Here are some tips to ensure that your app is easily discoverable by prospects:
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Optimize app landing page with related and relevant keywords
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Ensure that the name and description of your app matches what users are searching for, and correlates directly with what the app is all about.
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Add any recent reviews in your description. Aim at receiving the highest number of reviews and downloads as that greatly increases your chance of being found.
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Ensure that you add screenshots of your app and any icon that is consistent with the app design.
Mobile Website
A mobile website means a mobile version of a website and usually has a domain name like m.yourwebsitename.com.
Short Tail Dominates
Keywords differ significantly for mobile search compared to desktop searches. The long tail of keywords is shorter in mobile and will remain so until voice search becomes more popular in which case long tail will dominate in mobile.
Content Rules
The key to attracting good traffic is good content. Sites should have content that is easy to share and read on a small screen device.
Capitalize Local Search
It’s also important to capture as much local search as possible. People tend to use mobile search when they’re out and are seeking information, for example, searching for the nearest hotel, so naturally, if you own a hotel, you want your site to be prominent in these local search results.
Use Deep Linking
Deep linking for mobile allows users to access specific portions of the app rather than simply launching the app. Google recently announced that it would start indexing deep links within mobile apps. As an online marketer, this means that you should use deep linking as much as possible to expose different aspects of your app to your target audience.
One of the goals of the search marketer is also to ensure that the app receives continued visibility and traffic. However, one industry study estimated that about two thirds of people who download an app will have stopped using it three months later. Companies that once focused on prodding people into installing an app now look for ways to ensure that they keep returning to it resulting in regular income flows. With deep links, you can direct people to specific portions (such as a limited offer or discount) of your mobile app and promote that link in your emails and social media promotion.
Search is not dead; it is just undergoing a massive wave of transformation which if ignored by marketers will end up washing away precious traffic right up to the competitors’ shores.
