Strolling around the airport the other day, I looked up from my new Droid X long enough to notice that everyone else was in their own mobile entranced world as well. Playing games, downloading the latest apps, browsing through sites or maybe even a little “old fashioned” calling or texting. With mobile internet access less than a decade old, many businesses find themselves scrambling to secure their place in the mobile world. I have clients ask me all the time whether or not they should consider a separate “mobile friendly” site. The answer – yes and no! With the mobile web landscape still evolving and changing and with so many factors coming into play in mobile web rankings, the best strategy is also going to be an evolving one. While traditional internet (desktop and PC) has a tangible and achievable methodology to SEO (Seach Engine Optimization), mobile web is still outlining the rules to achieve top rankings and to increase user functionality.
When cell phones with internet access were first introduced, it was thought that you must have a mobile-specific site in order to properly optimize and/or to receive any traffic. While this is certainly one method, it is not the only sure-fire approach to reach your mobile consumers. With the explosion of SmartPhones such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Android, “mobile junkies” can have full access to their favorite sites without missing out on anything that a desktop can offer. While a separate mobile site can still enhance a user’s experience by paring down your traditional site to just the basic information that a customer is looking for, your full site can be accessed by SmartPhones. So make sure that your traditional site is properly optimized and can be easily navigated when seen in miniature form.
While thorough optimization of your traditional (non mobile) site is critical and may influence your mobile rankings, that is not the only influence coming into play for mobile rankings. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that simply because you land in Google’s number one spot on a traditional SERP (search engine results page) that you will even show up on the top page for a mobile search query. There are several factors influencing customer’s mobile search results. First, the GPS locator that is in most SmartPhones that can adjust the results based on their current location. This combined with a consumer’s past search history will certainly aid in skewing the results. Second, there is an arguably unfair advantage given to certain websites based on the carrier that the consumer is using. Different mobile providers hold stake in certain brands and therefore are quietly and discreetly but profoundly having an effect on the impressionable mobile web and its rankings.
Last word of advice would be to think like a consumer when designing your site. Whether you’ve decided to go the extra mile and create a “mobile friendly” website or you are sticking with your traditional site, make sure its navigation is simple and user friendly. In the age of impatience and immediate gratification, consumers on the go (most mobile internet users) want to easily find the exact information they are looking for and apply it immediately. Ask yourself if directions to your store or restaurant will easily transition into navigation mode, and if your phone number can simply be clicked on to begin a phone call? If your site is not properly optimized to achieve these “simple” functions, then you are certain to lose a large amount of targeted traffic. With nearly 1 billion people accessing the internet via mobile phones these days, it is easy math to see the benefit of jumping on board with mobile SEO. In short, make certain that your site is easy to use and navigate, stay ahead of the game and be certain not to fall off the radar of the upwardly-mobile consumers who can dominate your market!