Mobile-First SEO: How to Navigate the Ever-Growing Mobile Search Ecosystem

Intro

Smartphones have turned into a must-have accessory that rarely leaves our side.

After waking up, many of us check our phones, whether it's to browse social media or see if there are any missed calls, text messages, or emails.

But that's not all. We rely on our phones all day long. We use our mobile devices to research, learn about new products, or find local businesses.

That’s why, as a business looking to bring more traffic to your website, you should prioritize mobile-first SEO.

Let's dive into how you can boost your mobile search strategy to maximize your reach and increase your search engine rankings.

What is mobile-first SEO?

Mobile-first SEO is just what the name suggests. You prioritize optimizing the mobile version of your website over the desktop version. The goal is to make your site as user-friendly as possible for mobile users, focusing on ‌mobile search intent, user experience (UX), and design.

With a mobile-friendly website, visitors can:

• Load all pieces of content, including text, images, videos, audio, multimedia, etc.
• Easily read the text without having to zoom or scroll.
• See and navigate all elements of your main menu.
• Interact with buttons without issues.

Google's algorithm prefers sites with mobile-first SEO. Why? It uses the mobile version of a site as a starting point for indexing and ranking a page. This methodology is known as mobile-first indexing.

In other words, Google's search engine spiders will crawl your mobile site to ensure its content meets the mobile display standards, which evaluate site speed, formatting, and the width of the mobile content. Google's spiders will do all of this before analyzing the desktop version.

And if your site doesn't have a mobile version, Google will use the desktop version for indexing. However, not having a mobile-friendly option can negatively impact your search engine rankings — like this site that experienced accelerated mobile page (AMP) issues.

Screenshot by Britney Steele

Why is that? Because most of Google's search traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn't cater to mobile users, you probably won't get traffic. And if you do, mobile users may quickly exit your site if its content doesn't render well on smaller screens.

6 ways to optimize your website for mobile search

So, now that you have a little background knowledge about what mobile-first SEO is, let's explore some ways to implement it into your search engine optimization strategy.

1. Optimize page speed

Page speed is a major ranking factor, whether for mobile or desktop sites. But speed is probably even more important for mobile users because they're often on the go, so they need speedy access to information.

So, your site should load quickly to keep mobile users engaged and stick around on your site. Measuring the current speed of your site can help you determine how quickly your site loads and how to improve that speed (and lower bounce rates).

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If you’re using two versions (e.g. mobile and desktop), it's best to measure the speed separately. You can do this using Google's PageSpeed Insights tool, which evaluates the loading speed of your website. It also provides suggestions for how to improve page speed.

When you use the tool, both site versions will receive a score from 0 to 100 (with a higher score indicating a better performance).

Screenshot by Britney Steele

If your score comes in lower than you hoped, here are some simple suggestions to help you improve your score:

• Implement accelerated mobile pages (AMP)
• Compress your images
• Use browser caching
• Minify your HTML

2. Use local SEO tactics

What do you do when you want to find a good restaurant nearby? Many people grab their mobile devices and do a quick search on Google.

In fact, 82% of US shoppers who use their smartphone to help them shop use "near me" searches.

They then scan the search results and narrow their search based on reviews. Rinse and repeat, and that’s how customers find the perfect shop, restaurant, or other local business.

Screenshot by Britney Steele

So, if you run a local business, optimize your website for local searches. Start by doing keyword research to find out what local search terms your target customers are using. Find search terms with high search volume and relatively low competition to increase your chances of ranking.

Look out for long-tail keywords, which are more detailed and represent a more specific search intent. The more specific they are, the more likely a customer will search for it and lead to your content.

For example, instead of "restaurants near me," you could use "Italian restaurants near me with outdoor seating," "vegan restaurants near me open late," or "Mexican restaurants near me offering delivery."

Of course, your choice of keywords will depend on the type of business you run and the type of services you offer. Use that specificity to your advantage by looking out for modifiers or details within keywords that may set your business apart from the competition.

Then, implement those keywords into your web pages. If you run an Italian restaurant in New York City, find a way to seamlessly implement "Italian restaurants in New York City" somewhere on your website.

Doing so will allow you to target patrons who are in close proximity to the area you serve, which increases your chances of attracting the right customers.

Here are some other ways to optimize your website for local SEO:

• Set up a Google Business Profile, which provides your address, phone number, hours of operation, and other important information customers may want to know.
• Add your business to local directories.
• Prioritize reviews.
• Create a page for every product, service, or location. Use relevant keywords.
• Use NAP citations, which stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. Place this information in the footer of your website.

Screenshot by Britney Steele

3. Optimize for featured snippets

Featured snippets answer a user’s question well enough to land a coveted spot on the first page of search results. In other words, it’s a great way to jump to the top of the SERPs.

To optimize for featured snippets, structure your content to address common search queries as clearly and concisely as possible.

When you use the search term, “Is payroll software a good investment?”, here’s what pops up as a featured snippet. The first sentence does a great job of answering the question in a clear, straightforward way.

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And when a featured snippet covers 50% of a mobile screen.), you want that to be your business appearing in that slot. That means more eyes on your brand and higher click-through rates.

4. Double down on responsive web design

Instead of having a separate desktop and mobile version of your site, why not use the same code across both?

This phenomenon is known as a responsive website, which is essentially one consistent version of your site. A responsive site can tell what device type a visitor is using. Based on that, the site adjusts the content layout to match the user’s screen size.

Instead of showing three columns like it might on a desktop, the site will compress those columns to one or two, depending on the device's size.

That way, your site renders beautifully on more than one type of device. It’s also easier to maintain than a separate mobile site. In other words, you don’t have to update two separate sites when you add new content.

In mobile-first SEO, responsive design that aligns with Google's mobile usability standards holds tremendous significance, especially for ecommerce enterprises. With increasing numbers of consumers turning to their mobile devices for shopping, providing a seamless mobile experience can make or break a business. When optimizing your website for responsive design and mobile-first SEO, consider hiring a React.js developer to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation of these strategies.

Take LeatherCult, for instance, a renowned brand specializing in leather fashion products. They have perfectly optimized their customized leather jackets collection page for mobile devices to serve users.

Screenshot by Britney Steele

LeatherCult passes Google's mobile-friendly test with flying colors despite featuring extensive product listings and high-quality images on its site.

This accomplishment gives shoppers a superior user experience and contributes significantly to their competitive edge in the ever-expanding mobile ecommerce landscape.

5. Optimize your site content for voice search

Nearly 30% of the global online population uses voice search on mobile. And that number will only increase as voice technology advances and more people start taking advantage of hands-free features on their smartphones.

To boost your mobile search efforts, it’s wise to implement voice search optimization strategies. The important thing to remember about voice search is to find and use conversational keywords.

Use full phrases and questions that people normally use when interacting with others. For example, in a regular search where an internet user types out a query, they might use the term “best restaurants in Denver, Colorado.”

For voice search, they’re more likely to use a more complete sentence, like “What are the best restaurants in Denver, Colorado?”

There are many keyword research tools out there to help you discover relevant keywords in your business/industry that are commonly used in voice search queries, including Ranktracker’s Keyword Finder.

Using our tool, you can find high-quality keywords that are sorted and filtered by factors like search volume, difficulty score, location, language, etc.

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Other ways to find relevant voice search keywords are Google’s autocomplete and “People Also Ask” features, as well as a social news website or forums like Reddit.

Google’s autocomplete feature shows common search terms people use to find businesses. In the example below, Google provides a list of queries about the term “coffee shop in California.”

Screenshot by Britney Steele

When using the term “What is the best vacuum cleaner for hard floors,” Google provides a People Also Ask section to help users find the most relevant information.

Screenshot by Britney Steele

This Reddit thread shows a similar query to the one above, except the user is asking about vacuum mops for hardwood floors.

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6. Ensure seamless mobile navigation

Mobile device users should be able to navigate your website without much friction.

Otherwise, you open the door for higher bounce rates. And your customers will search for the next result that works seamlessly on their mobile phones.

So, your site should adapt to fit smaller screens and do so in a visually pleasing way. How? Via an easy-to-navigate menu that’s clearly visible but doesn’t take up the entire screen.

For instance, take this page from TSplus showing some TeamViewer alternatives as an example. Above the fold, readers are greeted with a concise and intuitive table of contents and a hamburger button (three horizontal lines).

This strategic layout is a game-changer for mobile users. It enables them to swiftly scan the page's content, effortlessly navigating to the sections that pique their interest.

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Such mobile-friendly design isn't just about aesthetics but also about delivering information effectively to users on the go.

Wrapping up

Google’s goal is to help internet users find the information they need in just a few clicks‌ — ‌or, in this case‌ — a few taps.

That way, when they visit a website from a mobile device, their experience is pain-free and seamless. They’re not facing obstacles that are making it difficult to get the answers they need. Leveraging mobile-first SEO can help you deliver a positive UX.

From prioritizing mobile navigation to using tools to increase page speed to opting for a responsive design, there are many ways mobile-first SEO can increase your chances of ranking in the SERPs.

The higher you rank, the better your online visibility. And that’s the key to long-term business success in a digital world.