SEO And Digital Marketing In A Mobile World – Lessons From #SXSW

TSmart SEO for a smartphone world

For many, the smartphone has replaced the desktop computer as the most reliable source for information and communication. It goes without saying, we live in a world where mobile devices are ubiquitous. For the first time in history, we literally have the world at our fingertips. We can find out anything we want to know, anywhere, at any time and quickly! While our mobile devices give us endless amount of freedom to tweet, Facebook and Google, unfortunately, many companies have not optimized their websites for mobile and they haven’t turned their minds to being ready for a search landscape that is quickly shifting from bigger to smaller screens.

The mobile web

The mobile web is considerably different from a desktop/laptop web-enabled experience. The most obvious difference is screen real estate – there is less of it on a mobile device! This is an obvious observation but its ramifications might not be fully digested. Less screen real estate means less opportunity to appear on the first page of Google on any given search term. Moreover, at SXSW interactive 2013, a number of presenters discussed how: A) In 2013, there will be more searches conducted on a mobile device than the sum of searches on desktops and laptops and B) Users on mobile devices are even less likely to scroll to the 2nd results page than on desktops/laptops. Now in 2017, these predictions have come true. The combination of these facts presents a serious cause for concern for companies that haven’t turned their mind to SEO and digital marketing because in a mobile world where there is less screen real estate and equally (or even more) impatient users, digital marketing and SEO become even more important tools than in the web world of yesteryear.

Here are some Digital Marketing Tips and Tricks in for a Very Un-Wired Web World:

1. Keywords.

A large number of mobile users are commonly searching for specific location-based keywords and want refined search results. On the other hand, desktop users tend to search on more general keywords, and have more room to see a variety of different results. In light of this, search engines, like Google, present their results in a different way on mobile than on desktop. It is best to have both a desktop and mobile site with targeted keywords for each specific environment. Think of your keywords as bait. Use this bait to get users to go to your website and consider how effective bait differs for a mobile compared to a desktop searcher.

2. Combining SEO with Real Simple Mobile Design.

The amount of information displayed on desktop will certainly look different when being viewed on a mobile device. This is why creating a mobile version of your website may be of value to your company. Screen size is most definitely a factor. Limit how much information that show on a small phone screen. Design absolutely plays an important part in creating the mobile version of your website because you need to effectively present your website’s content in such a way that encourages users to complete the call-to-action (CTA). Simplicity is key. Provide an easy but sophisticated mobile experience. It also crucial to make navigation (or links) easier on a mobile device so users can find the most important pages of the site quickly and efficiently. Research is key here. Know what your users are searching for the most, and make sure it is clearly displayed on the site. Use A/B testing to discover which features of your mobile site convert best.

3. Social Media Matters.

Let’s face it: most people use smartphones to connect to their social networks via Facebook and Twitter. Your mobile site should have social media links or buttons to make it easier for users to connect and share your website and content. This will increase your company’s exposure online, improve traffic and encourage mobile users to share content throughout various social media outlets.

4. Pay attention to Result limitations.

People using a mobile device do not scroll past the first page of their Google results. Also, on mobile devices the first page results are limited. Figuring out how to jump to the top of the results on a mobile device, or talking to those who can help your business do just that, might make or break your Internet visibility in the not-too-distant future.