2015: The Year of Mobile

Accessing the web has never been easier. Mobile devices are smaller and lighter than ever before and web connectivity has become an expected part of many modernized societies. Today’s customers have the ability to not only search on the go, but make purchases, update their thoughts via social media in real time and share relevant and timely content at the click of a few buttons.

Recent statistics have shown how searches on mobile devices have now overtaken those on desktop PCs and the trend is only set to continue. 2015 has truly become “The Year of Mobile” so whether you are an individual or company selling products or services online, it is definitely wise to utilise mobile optimization techniques if you are looking to maintain or improve your revenue and to conduct successful mobile search engine marketing (SEM).

1. Assess Your Site for Mobile-Friendliness

To begin you should check the mobile-friendliness of your current website. Similar to that of a desktop site, poor user experience of a mobile site keeps prospective customers away. Some of the possible issues you may have with a mobile site include lengthy pages that users will not take time to scroll through, slow site loading times and perplexing or non-user friendly page layouts.

To check the usability of your current mobile site (if you have one), you can enter the page URL into Google’s latest “Mobile-Friendly Test” tool. As well as checking the particular page for its mobile-friendliness, the tool also offers suggestions for improving your site. If you have created landing pages for your website then it is important that you test the user-friendliness of these too as they will be the very first thing that some of your prospective customer will visit.

Mobile Responsive vs Mobile Site

You have two options if you want your website to be accessible on mobile devices. You can either create a separate mobile version of your site or you can use responsive web design so that your desktop site automatically adjusts its size and content to fit the size and resolution of the screen being used. There are benefits to both however it is widely agreed that responsive web design will be less damaging to your SEO efforts and provides a better long-term solution that gives you better return on your investment.

2. Quantify Mobile Actions and Meet Mobile Goals

Aside from focusing on mobile conversions, understanding the premise of your customers’ mobile actions is also vital. In essence, you are looking to understand the purpose of a mobile search: are you customers looking for one piece of information such as a location or number to call on the go or are they looking to buy online. Many may use the website to quickly search for your product but will switch to desktop to conduct a more in-depth search or to make a purchase. Mobile searches are often not used at the closing stage of a customer journey and it is important to bear this in mind when optimising your site for mobile.

Since customers tend to use various devices to check out a specific page or website, estimated conversion is important. Using AdWords’ Estimated Conversion can give you insight into conversions across browsers and devices, calls, store visits, conversions between web and mobile app and direct conversions that occur on mobile. Once you have conducted some research you will be able to see what actions are important to mobile users, e.g. phone numbers, store locaters, app downloads, etc.

3. Utilise Mobile-Specific Ads and Make Mobile Bid Adjustments

It is undoubtedly more advantageous to utilise AdWords’ mobile-specific sitelinks and ads, which are designed specifically for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Doing so will boost your site’s conversion rate and click-through-rate (CTR). Converting desktop ads for gadgets that are meant to be on-the-go may not work as well – and is a key reason why responsive web design or RWD was invented.

Another thing to note is that you can analyse the data that is specific to the mobile device with this type of ads and sitelinks. Considering trade-offs across various devices in addition to desktop, tablet and mobile ROAS or Return On Advertising Spending is important for complete mobile optimization. Then all you have to do is analyse the data for making the right mobile bid adjustment to increase your company’s total revenue. You can also determine customers’ physical store visits, which were initiated by in-store visits and create online and offline advertising campaigns accordingly.

Search Engine Marketing with Adeo Group

Developing a successful Internet marketing strategy is an important part of your digital strategy and takes both time and expertise. Adeo Group provide search engine marketing services which enable our clients to drive their sites both organically and via PPC, depending on their size and ability. We also have experience in creating responsive web designs that are bespoke to our clients briefs. To discuss your business and find out how we can help you, contact us today.