December 23, 2014

This Mobile Thing, It’s Kind Of A Big Deal

Search engine optimization (SEO) advice was one of the most requested items in a 2014 small business Christmas wish list survey conducted by Small Business Daily.  Going into 2015, we feel small business owners need to pay attention to their mobile SEO strategy.  Here are a few mobile SEO ideas that should get your motor running.

In October 2014, Google announced mobile usability will be taken into account in Google’s algorithm in the near future.  In November 2014, Google announced a “mobile-friendly” label will be added to all mobile search results.  Please see below example.

Google Mobile Friendly Label

What Google alludes to is the fact that if your website does not provide a positive mobile user experience, then your website might start to lose rankings in the near future.

It’s time we all pay attention to our websites and make sure they are mobile friendly, responsive and keep the mobile user in mind.  Since a large portion of a mobile SEO strategy takes into account the researcher or user of your website, we feel every business owner should:

  • Make sure your font size is not too small
  • Stop using Flash on your website immediately
  • Adapt the content sizes to the screen being used
  • Confirm that your mobile touch elements are not too close

Google states these changes will roll out globally over the next few weeks.  To meet Google’s “mobile-friendly” label eligibility, a website must meet the following criteria:

  • Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
  • Uses text that is readable without zooming
  • Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
  • Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped

So how do you know if your website is mobile friendly?  Take Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test at: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/.  This will give you pointers on making your website more mobile friendly and eligible for the “mobile friendly” label.

You can also test your website manually to see if the design is responsive on a mobile phone or tablet. If your website pulls up and you have to make it larger to see the navigation, then you probably need to start strategizing on a responsive website design for 2015.

Google and other search engines want to make sure the mobile user has a positive mobile experience.  We feel 2015 is not only the year to talk about mobile usability, but to actually get it done. Please share this with any business owner or marketer who is responsible for maintaining  their organization’s website.

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