The exponential rise in popularity of smartphones and tablets means that mobile now forms an integral role in any SEO strategy, with Google last month revealing changes to its algorithm, which will now favour the sites that deliver the best mobile compatible infrastructure.
Previously there have been those in the SEO industry that have played ignorant to the growth of the mobile user and focused purely on optimising desktop content and user experience. Mobile experience is now factored into Googles processes so companies should be paying attention to their mobile set-up in order to make it as good as their desktop.
Non-desktop – an absolute must!
Unsurprisingly, mobile users account for more than half of some websites traffic so it is only natural for Google to progress with this rising figure and implement changes. Within the recent announcement, Google outlined the importance of avoiding the key mistakes usually made in mobile SEO, which will ultimately help users engage with sites fully, but more importantly find what they are looking for at a much quicker rate.
One of the most common problems are faulty redirects; a result of using separate URLs to serve desktop and mobile content. For example, mobile users are regularly being redirected to the homepage of the mobile-optimised site, away from the specific content they want.
This sort of disruption can have a dramatic affect, with the user choosing to leave the site and in many cases going elsewhere in order to find what they are looking for.
In conclusion to their announcement, Google has, for now advised sites lacking in mobile friendly formats that sending users to the desktop version of specific content is much better than an irrelevant redirect. For your mobile site to have a positive affect on SEO it should:
- Improve the mobile web
- Make users happy
- Allow searches to experience your content fully
Tip: Always test your site on various mobile devices and operating systems to ensure your content is being delivered correctly.
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