Turn to a Columbus web design firm that only builds mobile responsive sites

Since 2013, desktop use has remained stagnant, while mobile has seen a 68% increase and tablet use is up 180%. Some even believe desktop use will eventually decrease. During her MozCon session, Cindy Krum of MobileMoxie focused on the rise of mobile, and why digital marketing agencies need to begin exercising their SEO mobile chops, too, if they want to stay on the up and up.

Search rankings from a mobile perspective

The primary difference between navigating the Web on a phone versus a desktop is the screen size. When the screen gets smaller, navigation changes, and so does the way people behave on search engines and websites. The race to get to #1 is even more competitive given less search results are displayed above the fold.  So, what differences should Columbus web design agencies keep in mind when it comes to mobile search rankings?

  1. Expandable sub-links – When performing a Google search on a smart phone, mobile offers expandable sub links by clicking a light gray arrow underneath the main site. Be sure that these sub-links are good landing pages and designed for a quality mobile experience.

Columbus web design

  1. PPC has more impact on SERP – You may want to invest in some pay-per-click (PPC) ads (Google ads) for businesses trying to get a boost in mobile engagement. These ads may be all that shows up on a mobile search engine results page (SERP), once again, because mobile only allows so many lines of copy before forcing the user to scroll down.
  1. Micro-formats are more important – With mobile web design touchability is the sole indicator of success. Tabs and links should be big enough so that fingertips can select the desired option. Ease of use is essential with mobile. The more unintended pages users select, the quicker the user gets frustrated, pushes the “back” button and finds another mobile site that’s easier to use.
  1. Local intent- One-third of mobile search has a local intent. Think about it—how many times have you looked up the phone number to a restaurant or address to a business on your phone versus your laptop? Providing information that’s needed on the go is mobile’s priority. This is why, oftentimes, the Google My Business listing will be all that’s visible when doing a quick search, making it crucial for Columbus web design agencies to claim these local listings.

Web design Columbus

Making the best of a mobile responsive site

One major factor when it comes to mobile’s SEO rankings is the secret underbelly of crawler confusion and inefficient crawls. To ensure that Google isn’t crawling the same URLs twice (a mobile version, as well as a desktop version), Krum says that mobile responsive sites are Google’s “happy place”. Mobile responsive sites use the same URLs no matter what the device. The site’s design is adjustable and changes based upon the screen’s size.

The main issue with mobile responsive sites is that although they’re Google’s preference, page speed is often slower compared to non-mobile responsive sites. Websites that take longer to load will rank lower on search engines than speedy ones. So, how do you achieve the best of both worlds?

arena_mobile

Quick tips to minimize page speed on mobile responsive websites

  • Design for mobile first
  • Remove unnecessary code
  • G-zip all files to minify the amount of data needed to load
  • Save images at lower sizes
  • Consolidate round trip requests
  • Optimize the load order of your content
  • Set up http headers correctly

Turn to Cement Marketing for your new website design

Is your business ready for a mobile responsive website that’s not only beautiful, but built to perform, too? Cement Marketing can’t wait to work with you. Don’t take our word for it either—check out our Columbus web design agency in action. Call 614-564-9216 or contact us online today to get started.