It can be argued that in today’s marketplace there are few things more important than the mobile experience. However, understanding what the mobile experience is and acknowledging the consequences of getting it wrong, can be very different things. The mobile experience isn’t just about how your website looks on a mobile device. It’s about a lot more than that, and the first thing to be negatively impacted is your SEO performance. Here is exactly what is at stake with a poor mobile experience.
Not fit for purpose
One of the most common ways to get the mobile experience wrong is failing to invest in a quality website. If you aren’t sure what that means, imagine using an iPad and the screen loads to the size of an iPhone. Responsive website design is one of the most critical influences on SEO performance. If your website isn’t designed to be responsive to the user’s device, then your ranking will suffer, not to mention your customer experience and likelihood to convert. Customers expect a seamless user experience and a website design to mirror the device they choose to consume that content on. This is even more important if you know your customers generally consume your content through mobile devices. This is very reckless and costing you customers.
Performance
When it comes to rankings and overall SEO performance, one of the most important factors is the usability and performance of your mobile website. Customers today have an online attention span of about three seconds when it comes to waiting for a page to load, and that’s being generous. If your mobile website takes longer than that, bid that customer farewell and the revenue with it. Google is no different from your customer. In fact, Google will consider the experience of your mobile website before your desktop when ranking. If your mobile experience and performance aren’t up to scratch, then your ranking won’t be either. Focusing efforts on the performance of your mobile website to improve experience can have hugely positive impacts on your overall SEO performance, and business as a result.
Relevance is key
If you have ever received a novel in the form of a text message, then understanding the importance of relevance won’t be that hard. The mobile experience is about being responsive, having great performance and also about being relevant for the context. The way you present information and data to customers through your mobile website needs to fit the platform. If you have long-winded pieces of copy or content then the net effect will be negative in terms of your SEO performance. The content experience on your mobile website should be concise, meaningful and consumable in shorter formats. Headers and navigation are key to helping consumers move through your website and offer an experience they expect.
Missing out
One of the key benefits of a great mobile experience is that you are visible. SEO performance can’t be underestimated. Customers that can find you more easily through search, have a great experience when consuming that content and are more likely to buy. Even those companies who believe their users come via desktop or offline are realising that mobile plays a much bigger role than they thought. A poor mobile experience could be negatively impacting not only your ranking but your bottom line as well. Customer buying decisions are being made at the moment as opposed to the previously adopted model of information gathering, then purchase. You can capitalise on this. Instead of losing customers, act now and optimise your mobile website.
SEO and mobile websites can seem confusing at first, but once you seek to understand the difference between a good and bad mobile experience, you can really see the upside. Improved rankings create more leads and will ultimately be a revenue generator. Improve your mobile experience and start improving your SEO performance.
