SEO in Traverse City: Optimizing for the Age of Mobile-First Marketing

Venture Beat predicts that, by 2019, spending on mobile advertisements will reach $195.55 billion, and that these ads will compose 70.1 % of total digital advertising costs. Optimization-related expenditures will likewise cost $80 billion by 2020. Furthermore, searches in mobile devices are currently overtaking desktop searches, while Google stated that 34% of all online purchases come from mobile devices. Google’s awareness of the rise of mobile experiences drives its aggressive “mobile-first” thinking in advertising and in developing mobile-friendly algorithms.

Due to these online search and purchasing developments, successful search engine optimization (SEO) in Traverse City realizes the relationship between Google’s mobile-first thinking and relevant SEO approaches. In addition, mobile-first growth accentuates that optimizing for mobile devices is increasingly fundamental to SEO success.

Google: Towards a Mobile-First Mindset

A timeline of Google’s shift towards mobile-first perspective shows the reasons behind its momentum. Google’s former CEO, Eric Schmidt, announced in 2010 at the Mobile World Congress that the company intends to embrace a mobile-first mindset. He emphasized that the company’s top programmers are working on mobile apps. On April 21, 2015, Google stated it will use mobile-friendliness as a ranking indicator for mobile search results. During the same month, Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm update went live.

In September 2015, Google published “Micro-Moments: Your Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile,” which assisted companies in designing mobile experiences for their customers. It included advices on content management in digital contexts and effective real-life mobile marketing strategies. A month after, Google launched the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), which focused on boosting the speed of websites loading in mobile devices. The AMP is an open-source project, which aims to help publishers create lighter versions of their websites, so they can have better performance in mobile devices. In November 2016, Google started testing its mobile-first index. Mobile versions of webpages will be seen as the “primary” version for search ranking purposes.

Optimizing for Mobile Devices

In response to this mobile-first mindset, site designers seek to become more competitive by determining mobile keywords, comprehending mobile content, and optimizing mobile moments for conversions. Yu recommended the following optimization activities: designing and optimizing sites for speed and mobile-friendliness; determining and distinguishing mobile versus desktop demand; (3) understanding diverse online consumer purchasing intent signs; creating different mobile content, which suits smaller screens; optimizing mobile content to convert central micro-moments; and tracking, measuring, and constantly measuring mobile and desktop outcomes.

SEO for mobile devices in Traverse City is beyond optional for it is now mandatory for successful marketing efforts, especially when target consumers become increasingly active in using mobile gadgets to search for information that can influence or lead to online or even offline purchases.

Sources:

“Google’s Shift To Mobile-First: Mobile Moments That Matter,” Jim Yu, Search Engine Land, November 29, 2016

“SEO 2017: 8 Crucial Rules For Dominating Google’s Search Results,” R.L. Adams, Forbes.com, November 29, 2016