Mobile SEO is a popular topic, and for good reason. With the number of people relying on mobile devices for their search and browsing needs rising year after year, it only makes sense that the businesses that make the greatest amount of effort to service those consumers will be the ones getting the most visibility and the most new business.
Today, the world of mobile SEO is relatively simple. As long as your site is “optimized for mobile,” meaning it’s designed in a way that makes it easily viewable on mobile devices, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll get a small ranking boost in the search engines over sites that are not mobile friendly, on mobile searches, and that’s about the extent of the SEO value you’ll receive.
In the future, however, that’s likely to change. It’s easy to speculate about the future of search—some have even suggested that mobile device usage could spell the end of SEO altogether—but when considering your business’s digital marketing strategies, it’s important to stay grounded with what we actually know.
That being said, our current data suggest that mobile devices will only become more popular and more diverse in the years to come, and businesses will need to change in order to achieve visibility with these new mobile-reliant audiences.
Google’s Impending April 21st Update
First, we know that Google is about to overhaul its existing means of determining whether a site is “mobile friendly.” Starting April 21st, Google intends to slowly roll out a new addition to its ranking algorithm, which will make the web a more mobile friendly place overall. According to information we’ve been able to gather so far, it appears that this update will be as significant as Google Panda and Google Penguin, two previous significantly impactful algorithm changes, perhaps even more so. It’s also going to evaluate on a yes-no basis, which means it’s either going to see your site as “mobile friendly” or “not mobile friendly.”
As for what qualifies as “mobile friendly,” that’s still up in the air, but Google does offer this handy test to determine whether or not your site is currently seen as optimized for mobile.
This impending update is just another indication that Google is firmly committed to ensuring the best possible online user experience, no matter what. As mobile trends and technologies evolve, you can certainly expect more algorithm updates of this nature to roll out and shake up the rankings.
The Onset of the Apple Watch
The new Apple Watch, a breakthrough smart watch, is set to be released near the end of April, only a few days after the rollout of Google’s new algorithm. Smart watches have been hailed as the next “big thing” in the world of mobile, bringing mobile devices closer to the realm of wearable technology. While smart watches have actually been around for more than a year, produced by major tech companies, they’ve failed to catch on with mainstream consumers. The Apple Watch is poised to change this, making wearable technology trendy and fashionable.
We don’t know for sure that wearable technology will catch on, but the market research suggests that the smart watch phenomenon is set to grow. Wearable technology will require different actions from consumers; for example, they’ll have smaller screens, capable of displaying less content, and they’ll have more proximity-based features, which online brands can use to their advantage. Companies that optimize their online presence for wearable technology users could stand to benefit significantly in the near future.
The Decline of Traditional Websites
Mobile and wearable devices are gradually migrating to more app-based content. Rather than relying on information and services provided by search engines and traditional web pages, users are consulting third-party apps for most of their functional and informational needs. This trend is likely to continue, especially as technology becomes smaller and more practical for immediate, real-time uses.
Google is already placing more emphasis on these third-party apps. For example, it’s integrating other app functionality into its core products, such as Maps, and it’s taking information found on these apps, such as Yelp, and factoring it into its search results. It’s also indexing apps the same way it indexes webpages, marking the beginning of a future where apps are just as important—if not more important than—traditional websites.
Steps You Can Take Now
With the information we currently have, there are a handful of steps you can take immediately to better position your website for the future.
Optimize Your Site for Mobile
First, get your site optimized for mobile (if it isn’t already). This should be a no-brainer, especially with Google’s impending April 21st update just around the corner. If you aren’t designed to be compatible with any mobile device by the end of the month, you’re going to be seriously behind.
Get Involved With Other Apps
Get your business on as many other apps as possible, and if applicable, launch an app of your own. Claim a profile on every social media platform you can find, list yourself in every local directory, and integrate with as many services as are relevant to your business. The extra exposure can only do good things for your search rank and overall visibility.
Stay Abreast of New Trends and Tech
Finally, read the news and keep an eye on the rising trends in the tech industry. Google, along with every other search engine and digital service provider, is going to reward the companies who adopt new technologies the fastest, and the ones who do the most to improve overall customer experience. Simply staying on top of the latest trends could be enough to give you a head start.
It’s not entirely clear how mobile SEO will develop from here on out, but one thing is certain: users are demanding a more intuitive, more seamless digital experience, and the businesses who give it to them are going to win big in the coming years.
