All About Mobile
Everything you Need
to Know about
Mobile Search &
Optimization
An overwhelming amount of people
are fixed on some type of mobile
device at some point during their day.
These devices may only be a few
inches of screen on a slim metal or
plastic box, but the power they hold
over consumers is incredible.
PRO TIP:The average American
spends 195 minutes – or
3.25 hours – per day on
their mobile devices
Swift technological advances for the next
best device coupled with an information
age has made the world a mobile place.
It is so important to make sure your online
business becomes a part of this mobile
world – there’s no chance mobile is just a
fad, it will only keep growing.
Let’s explore everything you need to
know about taking your site mobile. If you’ve already gone mobile,
there’s lots of great stuff you can
learn to optimize your users’
experiences.
The Basics:
o Smaller Screens:
o Obviously, mobile browsers like tablets
and smart phones have much smaller
screens
o Slower Processors:
o Typically, mobile devices are slower
o Sites heavy on JavaScript will load
significantly slower
PRO TIP:
On average, phone
screens are 3-5 inches
diagonally and tablets are
9-10 inches. While typical
notebooks and desktop
computers are 13-30
inches diagonally.
The Basics:
o Touch Inputs:
o There’s no possibility for hover elements
(like you find on your native site) which
means much less precision
o Flash Problem:
o No iOS device (Apple mobile products)
runs Flash
o Android devices can in some cases, but
many users choose to disable this
function, as it causes serious usability
issues
PRO TIP:
Over 90% of desktop
browsers have the Flash
Player installed
The Solution:
o With smaller screens, less speed, and no
Flash, this calls for a simpler design:
o Scale down design elements on your
native site for a cleaner mobile
experience
o Use languages like HTML5, CSS3, etc.
when designing a mobile version
o Simplify your navigations – feature your
popular categories first
Visibility:
o Users tend to visit a lot of sites through apps:
o The heavy hitters being social apps like
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
o 65% of users spend a majority of their time
on mobile devices browsing apps
o The average consumer opens a majority of
their emails on a smart phone:
o Almost 50% of emails are opened here,
compared to 34% on desktop computers
PRO TIP:
The average user only
uses 28 major apps per
month
The Solution:
o Since users are referring to websites so often
from mobile apps, it’s so important to make
sure your social platforms are optimized:
o Social profiles should clearly state your
company name, matching your website
URL when possible
o Location, address, and contact number
should be totally visible “above the fold”
o Add a “click-to-call” option so users can
simply click your number to dial
PRO TIP:
“Above the fold” means the
portion of your site that’s visible
without scrolling
Higher Sales:
o A mobile-friendly site is so important for
Ecommerce – maybe more so than any
other type of website
o Consumers tend to research on mobile
devices and make the decision to purchase
here
o They tend to convert on a desktop after
their mobile research
o Consumers are also known to look at
product reviews on their mobile devices
while inside a brick and mortar store
PRO TIP:60% of Target’s Holiday 2014
traffic came from mobile users
The Solution:
o Make sure you are educating consumers
as best you can about your products
o You can help end their product search
and encourage a conversion with
good information
o Have clear, concise product descriptions
on your mobile site as well
o Make sure product reviews are visible
and positive if possible
PRO TIP:
Make sure your mobile
checkout system is as secure as
your desktop site – this will help
encourage consumers to make
a mobile purchase
The Facts:
o Google has rolled out “mobile-friendly”
snippets in search results on mobile
devices
o These are meant to direct users to
sites with a good mobile experience
o The search engines may take mobile-
friendliness into consideration when
ranking sites
o Sites tend to rank better when users
are more engaged – this is no
different from desktop to mobile
PRO TIP:
Google’s engagement standards are
things like time on site, pages per visit,
bounce rate, and more
The Solution:
o Upgrade to a responsive platforms – many
hosting platform offer responsive options
o If you’re stuck between a responsive site and
a mobile-dedicated site (an app) think
about how many people use apps other
than the big 28
o Make sure viewports are set to accommodate
all devices and screen sizes
o Pay attention to mobile data in your analytics
o Look for high referral channels (social
networks), visitor flows, bounce rates, etc. to
see where you can capitalize and improve
PRO TIP:
Google hates when users have
to manipulate mobile sites –
pinching, zooming, etc. – this is
why they are using a “mobile-
friendly” snippet on mobile
SERPs
Now that you have the
facts, some great data,
and some actionable
tips, there’s no better
time to jump full force
into mobile – you’ll be
glad you did!
To learn more, visit our blog for
some great mobile resources:
o Mobile Courtesy
o Mobile Data Points
o Desktop vs Mobile Differences
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