More Americans than ever own a cell phone: 95%. Our country also has a record number of citizens with smartphones at 77%. Combined with the 50% of Americans with tablets, it’s likely 8 in every 10 people continually engages with a device during their 16+ hours awake each day. With statistics like that, can you really afford to not invest in mobile SEO? But before you invest, here’s what you need to know about mobile SEO to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck when you do dedicate resources to mobile SEO.
Understanding the difficulties of mobile SEO
Most websites these days are optimized in 2 or 3 ways. Smaller outfits have a desktop web version and mobile web version of their sites. Bigger companies - the Facebook and Yelp!’s of the world - also have a mobile app in addition desktop and mobile web versions.As you know if you’ve overseen the development or management of a website, maintaining 2 or 3 versions of the site is expensive. You need to stay abreast of updates for each type of coding and server and ensure there are no duplicate content issues (which will run counter to any SEO campaign on every medium). Naturally, the upkeep time and expense required increases if your business has an app in addition to mobile and desktop sites.The problem for mobile SEO campaigns is that the clients who stand to benefit most from such services are mom and pop shops. These local establishments are far less likely than major corporations to have the budget to invest in various versions of the site or SEO for each. Instead, we’ll explore ways to make the most of existing opportunities to make the most of mobile SEO on a limited budget.
Know where you stand
The first and most important thing in capitalizing in a mobile SEO campaign is knowing where you stand. Do you already have Google Analytics embedded in your site? If so, great! Analyze your data and determine how many of your site’s visitors each month are viewing your webpage on a mobile device. Then break that down into smartphones and tablets. If you don’t already have Google Analytics installed, it is highly recommended you do so right away. Data is your most powerful ally when it comes to measuring and achieving your mobile SEO goals.In addition to discovering the number and percentage of users on your mobile devices. You’ll also get great information regarding how they are behaving on your site. Usually, this behavior will vary from the way desktop users utilize your site. The keywords will vary, the way in which they navigate the site will be different, the bounce rate will be higher or lower (often to a significant degree).All of this information will prove extremely valuable as you move through your SEO campaign. The first step to changing your target customers’ behavior is understanding it. And before you can understand it, you have to know where you stand.If you notice a high degree of users on iPads exiting the site on a particular page. For example, you will want to check that out for yourself. Maybe some coding on the backend is causing something to go awry with the user experience. Comparatively, you might see that the bounce rate on your checkout page is high across all desktop and mobile devices. In this case, your user across each device is telling you the same thing: it’s time to reevaluate your pricing strategy, as it is too high for customers to justify a purchase.
Local SEO is key
Google released a shocking study that revealed a whopping 95% of searches have the words “near me” or terms that otherwise indicate they are searching for local results. This is a massive opportunity for mobile SEO, as smaller shops can gain organic web traffic that leads to foot traffic. The beauty of SEO is no advertising budget is necessary when you show up on the coveted first page of a local Google search.Mobile SEO has the opportunity to be even more impactful when it comes to local SEO campaigns. Think of the person searching with local intent on a mobile device. He or she is likely already out and about. This eliminates the barrier a user on a desktop computer is ultimately required to overcome to get to your business: leaving the house. Mobile users are not only looking for you, but they are already on their way to you.Strong mobile SEO has the potential to drive recurring business when local customers find you. This is similar to the advantages of local SEO with desktop searches, as well. However, a unique advantage of mobile SEO is exposing out of town visitors to your site and location. For restaurants and bars, this could mean you become the establishment of choice for them to unwind every time they’re in town.Click here for more ways to dominate your city’s local search - on desktop and mobile devices.Contact KitelyTech today to discuss the details of how we can add value to you and your online business.Phone: (800) 274 2908Email: info@kitelytech.comImage Credit: Search Engine Land
