Mobile Search Killed the Desktop Star
[ORGINALLY WRITTEN FOR AND PUBLISHED ON KEYMEDIASOLUTIONS.COM]
Whether or not you understand the elaborate ins and outs of digital media, it isn’t hard to comprehend the impact mobile smartphones have made on our daily lives. Our mobile devices have become more than just an every-day care item. Today, they represent our connection to society around us. This connection hasn’t just changed how people interact with others around them, but also how businesses interact with their customers.
“Surfing the web” used to mean sitting down, turning on a computer, and enjoying the wonders of the internet. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing began to develop algorithms to grade websites based on different criteria. These criteria were largely based on how your website was display on a desktop. While this ranking process still takes place, the Mobile Revolution has changed the way these search engines evaluate websites.
The Mobile First World
In early 2017, Google officially made the transition to a mobile-first policy. Now, even if your website is killer on desktop, its mobile presence weighs heavier in the search engine grading process. And to complicate things further, voice search has increased in popularity as well. Without mobile responsiveness, Google will penalize your site and its visibility to searchers.
More than 70% of the U.S. population is using an online search query at least once a month and three out of five smartphone users will submit a search queries this year. Search is maturing and mobile media usage is demanding our attention.
Other than the fear of being reprimanded by Google because of mobile unresponsiveness or poor user experience, the reasons for paying attention to your mobile search presence and optimization opportunities keep growing. People in our world are progressively getting busier and yet still find it important to stay connected to the internet. Smartphones surpassed desktop numbers in 2014 and kept growing with now 70% of all digital media time happening on mobile devices. Google has also reported that 60% of all searches come from mobile devices.
Not showing up in mobile searches is the same as being invisible. We don’t have to tell you that this is bad for business. Usually mobile searchers are looking for something they need now or something close to them. This tells businesses that when someone searches on mobile, they’re likely further in the sales cycle than someone searching on a desktop might be. In fact, 50% of those who do a local mobile search will visit a store with a day, and 18% will make a purchase.
The solution that comes to mind when trying to be anything but invisible to a potential customer looking for you, is a Paid Search campaign. But even so, we’ve learned that mobile consumers function differently than desktop users.
Mobile Search Campaign
Here’s a few things you need to know to build an effective mobile search campaign and how you can maximize your efforts in mobile search.
Key search terms are different for searches on mobile versus desktops.
Identify what customers are looking for when they look for your business on a mobile device
Using ad extensions on paid search listings can allow your business to occupy the space where competitors could otherwise be visible.
Choose extensions that are relevant to the message you’re trying to send, and give searchers multiple options to click for information.
Slow site speed will push you down in Google’s rankings.
Use lower resolution images on mobile pages to help pages load faster.
Voice searches include more conversational inquires.
Make sure your location information is up to date across all online profiles and platforms.