The Impact of Mobile-Friendly Websites

There are many benefits to having a mobile-friendly website, but one major advantage is that web searches on mobile devices account for more than 50% of all internet searches. This should come as no surprise as mobile phones are usually within an arm’s reach at all times. That being said, the functionality of your mobile website plays a large role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). At beMarketing, we would like to help educate businesses on the importance and benefits of mobile-friendly websites regarding your SEO efforts. Let’s take a deeper look!

The Importance of Responsive Web Design

Most people think a website is considered mobile-friendly as long as it’s resized to fit a phone screen. While it is important to have a website that fits smaller screens, it also needs to be responsive because mobile devices don’t have the same power as desktop computers. In other words, your website will use the same HTML code and URL regardless of the size of the device the user is using. Along with size, it is important to have a website where site speed is not affected when using different devices.

How Mobile-Friendliness Affects SEO

  1. Google uses mobile usability as the third most important ranking factor and crawls your website’s mobile version before desktop version. This shows the emphasis that Google has placed on mobile websites in recent years. An additional step taken by Google is the introduction of free mobile speed testing. This allows you to see if your site is performing up to their standards and if consumers will be able to experience quality speed when visiting the site. A slow site can result in frustrated consumers who will leave your site, making all the SEO work you have done less effective.
  2. Another major aspect of mobile optimization is that it requires you to do some research for keywords. The keywords that people use on a mobile device versus a desktop computer are very different. This is because many mobile devices have a text-to-speak feature, which will transcribe their question. Since people speak differently than they type, the keywords targeted need to be adjusted to account for mobile search.
  3. Mobile devices can be taken anywhere, which makes Local SEO very important. Consumers may be traveling and could be searching for a brick-and-mortar location that is nearby. If your website is mobile-friendly it will not only be discovered during the consumer’s search, they will be able to easily access valuable information from your site while they are on the move.

Contact beMarketing, one of the Top Small Business Web Design Companies, today and we can get started helping you increase traffic to your website to ensure that your online presence is mobile-friendly.