What is mobile SEO, and how do I influence the ranking on mobile devices?
User behavior on the Internet is shifting more and more in the direction of mobile devices. The use of desktop variants is not decreasing, but more and more users are using their free time for mobile research.
In this blog post, we would like to deal with mobile search engine optimization and show you how you can also optimize your website for the mobile index and benefit from better search engine positions. Here we go!
Difference in SEO: Desktop vs. Mobile
The takeover of mobile devices cannot be stopped, and desktop devices are falling behind in relative use. For the average citizen, losing one’s smartphone is equivalent to being in prison, and the average citizen spends a not inconsiderable proportion of their free time on the mobile Internet.
Mobile usage is increasing, while desktop usage is stagnating. What is striking here is that the mobile phone does not displace the desktop variant, but rather draws on the free time resources of the user.
But what is the difference in search engine optimization? – In particular, the display size is crucial for the presentation of information. On the small screen, there are fewer opportunities to get information out there. In addition, the usage behavior is strikingly different:
Smartphones are often short on time and prefer easy-to-understand and condensed texts so that information can be seen quickly and at a glance. Unlike in the desktop area, large texts can have a negative effect in the mobile area.
Also, in the search itself, the first search engine rankings have a higher value than in the desktop search. Due to the fact that fewer search results are displayed in the visible area of the browser, click rates are significantly higher, especially for mobile search engine results (SERPs), while the results in the non-visible area benefit less from organic search engine traffic.
Basically, we observe the following KPI developments for mobile access:
1. lower conversion rates
2. higher bounce rates
3. lower ROI
→ The following also applies to mobile SEO: It is not just a project; continuous optimization in mobile SEO should become a process, because this is the only way to achieve long-term successful search engine rankings in mobile searches and to benefit from good positioning .
Mobile SEO: The Optimization
So how do you optimize your own mobile website for better mobile SEO? – At their core, there are three optimization areas for mobile SEO that a search engine optimizer can focus on:
1. Mobile SEO: Technical SEO
In particular, the technical requirements in the area of smartphones and mobile devices are different. Above all, the topics of responsiveness and loading times are decisive factors for mobile SEO. Smartphone users have less patience and quickly jump off if the website takes too long to load.
In the “Technical SEO” section, you can test and improve mobile friendliness with the following free tools:
+ Google Mobile Friendly Test (user experience)
+ Google PageSpeed Test (loading times)
+ Viewport Test (responsiveness)
2. Mobile SEO: User Experience (UX)
The smaller screens and touch navigation place particular demands on UX designers and the display of the website on mobile devices. The main challenges here are in the presentation of the content.
We often observe fonts that are far too small and click elements with far too little whitespace, so that these elements are difficult to use, especially on the smartphone.
3. Mobile SEO: content
Due to the lower attention span, the content should be presented clearly and understandably. A completely different attitude towards the content is required for the SEOs here in order to create content that is also received by the users and the target group.
Conclusion on Mobile SEO
Especially against the background of the Mobile First Index, many webmasters should rethink: today it is no longer enough to just optimize a website for the desktop version.
Rather, it is about adapting to changing user behavior with your own search engine optimization and monitoring how mobile use of websites affects your own website.
Tools such as Google Analytics can be used for this purpose to evaluate your own usage behavior. As an experienced SEO agency, we would be happy to support you in expanding your mobile SEO measures and analyzing your website with our first free SEO check!
