Local businesses lacking the marketing arm of giant companies may feel that certain online ad strategies are beyond them. The truth is, in 2015, search engine optimization is the name of the game, and it is just as crucial for the mom-and-pop operations as it is for Fortune 500 companies. Now, businesses without much knowledge in this field can rely on help from a reputable SEO company, such as those listed at LocalSEOCompanies.com, but all commercial entities should familiarize themselves with the most vital elements of modern search engine optimization. One of these elements is mobile. With that in mind, here are some SEO best practices for great mobile SEO.
Understand Mobile Optimization
The first thing any business needs to do is to understand the area of SEO they are aiming for. Simply put: mobile SEO involves optimization a website or content for mobile devices so people can access it right from their handhelds. Believe it or not, even in this day and age, many websites still aren’t optimized for mobile. And with 50% of all mobile searches conducted in the hopes of finding local results, small businesses can’t afford to overlook smartphones and tablets. A solid mobile strategy will take into account website design, page speed and more.
Reduce Load Times
Speaking of page speed, how quick a piece of material loads in a browser is of the utmost importance. Mobile devices are different than desktop or laptop computers in that the hardware is smaller and the Internet connection speeds aren’t always the fastest. To mitigate this reality marketers are going to want to minify code in their online content, as well as reduce their redirects and lessen browser caching.
Don’t Block Code
In the early days of smartphones many mobiles couldn’t support multiple elements. These days it isn’t a problem for a mobile device to read image data, CSS and JavaScript. Also, being able to read different code tells Google just how responsive a business’ website is, which will affect its rankings.
Focus on Site Design
When coming up with a quality website, creativity isn’t the only consideration. Businesses that want to make their site accessible for mobile users need to take into account just how those users access sites from their handhelds. That means forgoing Flash, as smartphone owners may not have the plug-in installed on their device. (HTML 5 is a solid alternative to Flash.) The same goes for pop ups, which can be irritating and cumbersome to remove on mobile devices. And when designing buttons, always err on the side of the fattest finger, as larger size will reduce accidental clicks.
Optimize for Local
Local businesses need to locally optimize, plain and simple. That means creating local business pages for the three main search engines (Bing, Yahoo! and Google), and making sure all relevant info (address, phone number, site URL, etc.) is up to date and accurate. Getting citations on other local pages doesn’t hurt, either.
These are five mobile SEO best practices that should remain evergreen for sometime. Of course, it’s crucial for any businesses to stay abreast of changes in mobile technology, as even the slightest advances can alter the landscape of marketing dramatically.