Review Checklist: How a Mobile Website Helps SEO

Is a Mobile Site on your Website Review Checklist?

Is your brand currently enjoying the full benefits of its online presence? Unless your website is mobile responsive, the answer is no. We all know that smartphone and tablet usage has been on the rise for years, but we’ve reached a true tipping point. In a survey completed by TechCrunch in early 2015, 80% of online adults own smartphones, while nearly half (47%) are staying connected with tablets. Numbers like these prove that the mobile market is where it’s at. As a result, businesses absolutely need to step up to the plate by directing their attention to their mobile audience. Focusing on how to properly adapt your website to be mobile friendly will prove to be the key to attracting visitors and boosting SEO in the coming years.

Easier to Navigate

With so many people turning to their mobile devices while on-the-go, it’s crucial that your website be simple for users to navigate. If a consumer is not able to quickly find what they are looking for, or is having difficulty finding answers to their questions, they will be more inclined to quickly leave the page. This will directly impact your SEO as major browsers like Google will interpret this information as an indication that your site is not relevant to people conducting web searches. It doesn’t take long before your site gets bumped down to the bottom of the search results. Mobile responsive websites are much simpler for consumers to explore with their smartphones and tablets ensuring that buyers remain on your page longer and that you remain in Google’s good graces.

Faster Load Times

Having a website that can be quickly loaded on a range of mobile devices is important for multiple reasons. First, users get extremely frustrated when it takes too long for a page to load up or when they are required to wait for an unreasonable amount of time to be re-directed to a mobile version of a website. Again, in situations like these, consumers are apt to ditch the site fast which will negatively affect your SEO. Google bots also pay attention to load times, and slower sites tend to get lost in the shuffle. The great thing about mobile responsive websites is that they instantly convert to whatever mobile device is being used instead of redirecting users to a separate site. This makes things much faster and smoother.

Higher Likelihood of Local Results

Having a mobile-friendly version of your website will draw more local consumers to your site because Google frequently puts preference in rankings on those with mobile responsive pages. This allows you to significantly improve your SEO while also ensuring that the audience you are pulling in is comprised of legitimate lead prospects.

Shareablity

A major issue with mobile versions of websites vs mobile responsive sites is that it’s more difficult to share links with desktop users. If consumers want to share a site or product with a friend, emailing a link to a PC will result in the desktop user being directed to a mobile site that doesn’t look as good. They will then be less likely to view the website or remain on it very long which is harmful to SEO. A mobile responsive site will have the same link as the desktop version making it easier to share with others and boost your rankings.

There’s no better time to jump on the bandwagon and start catering to the needs of your mobile audience. By taking simple steps to improve mobile user experiences with a website review checklist, you’ll be able to effectively draw in more consumers and continuously boost your search engine rankings.