Online searches through mobile devices and tablets surpassed desktop years ago. However, the amount of time spent on desktops is still higher than any other device. Smartphones haven’t replaced desktops. Instead, people are using their smartphones for online searches in ways never seen before and this is largely why it’s time to include mobile SEO in your inbound marketing strategy.
Customers are making real-time decisions with their mobile devices through what Google commonly refers to as micro-moments. These micro-moments drive mobile SEO. Consumers expect a customized and personalized search, one that considers where they are in real-time, what they want to buy, what questions they need answered, where they want to go and directions on how to get there.
Understanding micro-moments is essential to ensuring that your website isn’t simply mobile-friendly and mobile-capable, but ultimately mobile-optimized. This means putting yourself in the shoes of your mobile customer. Where are they right now? What do they need? How will you help them find your solution? How will you direct them to your business? Finally, how will you welcome them so that your conversions increase and your company sells more?
All of those aforementioned questions get answered by mobile-optimized content and solid mobile SEO strategies. It’s not merely a question of having a mobile-friendly website. Yes, it’s important that users are able to navigate your website using only their thumbs, and that icons, images, and infographics are rightsized for Smartphones. However, more is required.
Your inbound marketing strategy must address the unique ways that users search on mobile devices. It’s not merely a question of making sure users don’t have to pinch or squeeze screens to view a given landing page. It’s about embracing mobile SEO in a way that is entirely separate from how you've done SEO in the past.
Mobile-Optimized Content
Your digital marketing team must focus its mobile content on those micro-moments. It might involve getting found on Google maps or being present across multiple mobile business directories. In fact, having one complete description for all the business directories is an ideal way to create a uniformed marketing message your customers will appreciate. Here are some micro-moment examples that your mobile content and SEO strategies need to address for users in real-time.
1. Knowledge-Based Content: Need to Know
Customers need to know about the products and services you offer, your value proposition and the unique attributes that differentiate your business. This means having content and information that provides an in-depth view of what you’re all about. Discounts, rebates and special promotions should be clearly visible for users. Content should be structured for the mobile user in a way that provides them with the critical information they need.
2. Location-Based Content: Need to Go
Obviously, your customers need to know where you are relative to where they are. Google maps is a solution where customers can quickly ascertain the steps they must take to get to your place of business. Location-based search queries must be addressed by your mobile content so that it’s clearly understood where your location is or where another satellite location might be found. It’s about defining the closest business location to your customer’s location. You’ll typically see mobile-based searches summed up by “closest to me” or “nearest to me”. Having an answer for these search queries is critical.
3. Transaction-Based Content: Need to Buy
Outlining how customers buy from your business is an absolute necessity. In-store information and online payment options must be clearly defined. A number of mobile searches are done in real-time within the store itself. Comparison shopping is one reason, while another may simply be to find information about a given brand name. It’s common for customers to do a reputation search on a business if it’s the first time they’ve visited it. They may also look to better understand certain sales and promotions offered by your business.
4. Information-Based Content: Need to do Something
This is a common search query when someone is in the middle of doing something. They may decide to look up other options online or do a search for faster and easier solutions. This is the perfect opportunity for “how-to” content and short videos that define what your product or service accomplishes. Providing customers with an outline on how your product works, or how your service can help, is a must for these types of mobile-based searches.
Most Common Mobile Mistakes and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Upwards of 92% of mobile use is done through an app. However, that doesn’t mean having separate mobile-optimized landing pages is the way to go. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes companies make is to have a separate URL for mobile searches. It doesn’t work because it duplicates your company’s content in SERPS (search engine results pages). The best approach is to incorporate device detection or employ a canonical tag to guard against duplicate content that might otherwise appear on several URLs.
Ignoring apps means you’re sacrificing a large portion of mobile functionality that your customers depend upon. Live chat is another critical solution that could mean the difference between generating a high-quality lead with a hot prospect or missing that opportunity entirely. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) mean that voice search options also must be on your radar.
Your inbound marketing strategy must align with the times and be forward-looking enough to keep up with the latest technologies and advancements. Search engines have come a long way from the days of just focusing on keywords, keyword-phrases, and colloquial search terms. Today’s companies must embrace voice search functions like Siri or Cortana. Videos are also being ranked better by Google which means outlining video length, including descriptive tags and writing up video descriptions is of utmost importance.
Go past the mobile-friendly website and be sure your digital marketing team is embracing proactive mobile SEO strategies. Your competitors already have mobile-capable websites. The push now must be to differentiate your company by adopting aggressive mobile SEO strategies.
If you're looking to take your mobile website to the next level with a revamped inbound marketing strategy, then contact us.
Written By: Doug Milnor
