Traditional SEO has always centred on desktop users. Now, digital marketers are setting their sights on mobile users. Google has set the tone for mobile marketing as it increasingly tailors its searches to mobile users. Need to find your local tailor? The search “Sydney tailor” will produce the top three results complete with address, website and directions. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that 70% of mobile searches lead to consumer action within the hour – thanks to the pervasiveness of smartphones.
With as many as 50% of search users beginning their search on a mobile device, it’s important to understand the basics of mobile SEO:
Keywords
Optimise your business keywords for mobile searches. If you’re running a tailoring business, this doesn’t necessarily mean you inserting the word “tailor” as many times you can into the body of your copy – what’s most important is the placement of these keywords. Instead, make sure that they’re placed strategically in the header, links and title tag of your website, and remember to capitalise on the localisation of searches.
Local Intent
Over 50% of users who search on mobile have a local intent – whether they’re looking for directions to a local store, its trading hours or the actual address, most of these searches are done by consumers who have a product or service in mind and they are researching or looking to purchase online. Almost one fifth of users who run local searches will make a purchase. This is why it’s extremely important to adopt an SEO strategy that capitalises on your locality.
Mobile-friendly websites
In order to attract users to your mobile site, you have to ensure that all the content is optimised for mobile and responsive. It’s also handy to remember that the patience of mobile users is considerably less than that of the average desktop user – about half of mobile users will abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insight tools to check the loading speed of your website.
