The mobile-first index announcement has many late adopters of a mobile-friendly site anxious about undertaking an update. We get it. Website changes are a strain on a brand’s marketing efforts, and often difficult for development teams. We consult with many of our clients on technical SEO, CRO and content strategy to help through these transitions. It can be laborious, but it doesn’t have to be painful.
The benefits of the upgrade go far beyond simply meeting the mobile-first index switch. By focusing on mobile performance, companies will improve SEO and positively impact digital marketing efforts.
Here are three ways transitioning to a mobile-friendly site will benefit your marketing efforts beyond mobile ranking.
Improving Page Load Speeds
For a site to maximize its potential to rank in the new mobile-first index, the site must load quickly. Current load time targets should be no more than 1-2 seconds (the lower, the better).
Load speed is not only a benefit for mobile. Any site should look at load speed as a ranking factor on any platform. A simple audit of the site using this tool will let you know how your site is doing. Reduced bounce rates, increased traffic and increased time on page are all potential benefits of a fast site. You can read more about how to speed up load times here.
Refining Content Strategy
Creating a mobile-friendly site means ensuring that the most important information is easy to find on an iPhone or Android size screen. What is your customer on their mobile phone looking for? Directions, hours, sale products, core services, commonly purchased items are great to start with. These are more interesting to someone browsing on the train ride home versus someone sitting in their home office.
Do this content analysis for all platforms and all visitors. What is your Facebook audience looking for? What is your desktop visitor most interested in? Doing a careful audit of what content resonates on which platforms and with which customers will reap value to your marketing team.
Analyzing UI
How the content is laid out and in which order is vital to an improved user experience on your site whether it is mobile, desktop or tablet. Think about the features, design elements and images of your site from all angles.
Does this work on a mobile phone or does it only work on a larger screen? How about the other way around? How do these colors look when you reduce white space on a smaller screen. Can you create a variation that improves the user experience and helps users find things faster? A critical eye toward how your online presence is perceived on all devices can shape a strong digital strategy.
What’s next?
As the way we use the internet changes, your website must accommodate the new ways people are engaging with your business online. Learn more about making the internet work for you on our blog, and get personalized help from the Mad Fish team by contacting us here.
