Anyone who researches on the net usually takes the route via a search engine – and more and more frequently on the smartphone. For the first time, more Google searches were made on mobile devices than on stationary ones. This places new demands on the operators of websites. In order for your products and services to continue to be presented in the best possible way and to be easy to find via the search engine, you should adapt your website to mobile users. In mobile optimization, it is primarily about the ease of use ( usability ). Who tunes his shop or his company page on the changed habits of the user, at the same time, gives an advantage in the subject of mobile SEO. Because Google is now synonymous with the mobile-friendliness of websites as a ranking factor.
What is Mobile SEO?
SEO means “Search Engine Optimization” (Search Engine Optimization) and deals as a discipline of online marketing with all measures that help improve the ranking of a website in the results of search engines. Meanwhile, mobile search engine optimization (Mobile SEO) has become an essential part of SEO planning.
Market leader and sound engineer Google has responded to the trend towards increased mobile usage and the growth of “second screen” and is now paying special attention to mobile websites. The optimization of mobile pages has been an official ranking factor since the beginning of 2015. Through the Google Search Console website owners will find appropriate assistance and a “mobile-friendly” test.
SEO Becomes Mobile: Possibilities, Implementation, and Typical Mistakes
If you want to make sure that your own website appears on the search results on mobile devices, there are some important precautions to take. The first step is to choose the right mobile configuration for your own site.
1. What are The Options for Mobile Websites?
Basically, there are three ways to turn your page into mobile devices. Common solutions are the responsive design, the separate mobile website, or the so-called Dynamic Serving. A special option is the development of your own app.
Responsive Web Design:
The basic idea of Responsive Web Design: The website automatically and dynamically adapts to the size of the respective display with all content and elements such as pictures, videos, or navigation. This is done by the URL and an HTML code that optimizes the page depending on the device. A responsive web design can be implemented relatively quickly and easily – and since it is recommended by Google, it can only pull SEO benefits for the mobile website.
Dynamic Serving:
With so-called Dynamic Serving, the HTML code also changes depending on the user ID of the device. The source code of the mobile page for the tablet is therefore different from that for the smartphone. The URL remains the same – the HTML version provides the server depending on the device type.
Separate Mobile Website:
Another possibility is a separate mobile website, which is a mobile mirror image to the desktop page. It serves as a role model, but is largely independent – there are two different URLs and two HTML versions.
Own App: App Indexing & Store Optimization
Apps are becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, many companies consider offering their customers an app in addition to the website. In principle, the added value, the improved user experience, and the positive benefits for the customer should always be decisive. Whether a native app, a web app, a responsive design, or a mobile website is the ideal solution, you have to weigh it individually. Important Mobile SEO: Even with Apps plays searchability but not a role in the search engine, but especially in the AppStore. Because to convince the user of the advantages of the app, this must first be found.
2. The Indexing of The Mobile Page
If you have opted for a configuration option, it is Google to signal that a mobile page is available . Instructions for each configuration can be found on the Google Search Console. An important note: you should let the crawler access all website resources – this is the only way the Google tools ensure that all elements are optimized for the mobile browsers. According to Google, one should do without the file robots.txt, with whose help one can deny the crawler access to certain contents.
3. Avoid Typical Mistakes
Since mobile optimization is a ranking factor, the lists of tips and tricks on convincing Google of its mobile website are becoming ever more frequent. Basically, the site must meet three important requirements :
Mobility:
This is the basic requirement for any further mobile SEO measure. This is where the free “Mobile Optimization Test” from Google helps. A similar tool also offers the search engine alternative, Bing.
Usability:
Mobile is not synonymous with user-friendly – but here too, Google helps Webmasters to make the appropriate arrangements. Use the PageSpeed Insights tool to enter its URL and get tips for getting the most out of your experience (desktop and mobile separately). Operators advise the tool z. As the size of fonts, links, and buttons or the configuration of display areas to customize.
Speed:
As the name of the tool suggests, Google PageSpeed Insights also checks the speed of a page. Possible tips are here z. For example, to reduce JavaScript and CSS, to use browser caching or to optimize images.
Using PageSpeed Insights avoids many of the typical errors that occur on mobile pages. In addition to blocked JavaScript, CSS, and picture elements, this includes non-retrievable content, incorrect redirects, and mobile-specific 404 errors. How to identify and fix all typical SEO errors on mobile pages, read here.
Mobile Search Engine Optimization – More Important Than Ever
The sales figures of smartphones and the further increase in mobile user numbers prove it: people surf the net, when and wherever they have a smartphone and tablet at hand. Mobile SEO has therefore become the central topic in search engine optimization. This represents a great opportunity for new business areas such as mobile commerce or mobile payment – but also presents a challenge for any company that needs to optimize its website. We support you – with IONOS MyWebsite you design your website in Google’s recommended responsive web design.
