More and more people are using their mobile phones to browse and buy online than ever before – and this number is only set to increase over the next few years as mobile websites become easier to use and more businesses adopt a robust mobile SEO strategy. Ecommerce websites and local services such as restaurants, attractions, shops and taxi services are set to benefit most from mobile search with 33% of smartphone users saying they have made a purchase on a smartphone already, and Google reporting that 1 in 3 mobile searches is locally focussed.
Now is the best time to put together an effective mobile search strategy so you are not missing out on possible sales and enquiries. The below will outline four of the areas you must consider before proceeding.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is every webmaster’s best friend, if you don’t already have it or an equivalent installed on your website then you are missing out on valuable information which is crucial when looking for ways to increase your conversion rate, ultimately boosting sales.
To see how many visitors your site has had already from mobile search, click on the Mobile option under the Audience heading – it might be more than you were expecting. If you’ve set up goals or enabled ecommerce tracking in your Analytics settings you can then see the ecommerce conversion rate of your website and whether it is performing well. If you are already getting some sales through your site on a mobile, consider how many more you are likely to get by advertising specifically for mobile users.
You could easily spend hours on Google Analytics looking at user behaviour on your site – looking at mobile user bounce rate, which keywords they are using in mobile search and whether users are new or returning. All of this data is key to understanding your mobile audience.
Mobile Sites
You have a few options when it comes to building a mobile site for your business. You can either program the site to show a certain way when it detects a smaller screen size; you can host a version of your site on a different domain such as www.yourwebsite.mobi; or have a subdomain such as http://m.yourwebsite.co.uk.
There are several best practices for mobile websites, some dependent on your industry and website aims and others more general. This article from Usability.com gives a great run-down of the guidelines for mobile ecommerce sites. For brochure sites it is vital that a method of contacting you can easily be found. Because the screen is so much smaller on a mobile over a desktop, feature only the most important information on your site – you don’t want to put potential customers off with waffle!
Google Keyword Tool
Once you have your fantastic mobile website designed, you need to attract the right customers to it. The Google Keyword Tool is a fantastic online resource for finding how potential customers are searching for your services or products. Change the Advanced Options and Filters to only show keyword information for mobile devices, then enter keywords into the box above to find search information.
Google have reported that in general mobile keywords are longer which was unexpected considering the small keyboard you have to use on a mobile. Using the Google Keyword Tool can help you to hone in on relevant and profitable keywords for your mobile site or a mobile AdWords campaign.
Google AdWords
Some people are very against Google AdWords because it is an on-going cost, however for mobile search it has some great advantages. Firstly, because on most mobiles in search there is only one column, your mobile ad has the potential to be seen first, before any of the natural search results. Google have already reported that the average mobile ad click-through rate is around 11.5% - compared to 2% for desktop and laptop search.
Furthermore, you have the option to click-to-call in a mobile ad. This is particularly useful for business services, the hospitality industry and travel services where a user might not need to read your About Us page before wanting to get in touch.
It is a great idea to trial keywords in a mobile Google AdWords campaign before you start your natural optimisation to check that your chosen keywords will bring returns after you’ve put the work in to rank.
The above four sections are vital to improving your mobile web presence and making the most of the market out there. Even though they are just a small piece of the overall mobile website puzzle, they will ensure your mobile web strategy is well set-up.
If you’d like to find out more about how a mobile website or mobile marketing could greatly benefit your business, feel free to contact Laura on 01603 819120.
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