Contributed By:
VIP Contributor
Entrepreneur and Connector
Source: Entrepreneur
Mobile use is at an all-time high, and
shows no signs of slowing down. It has been predicted that by 2020, there will be
the equivalent of 1.5 mobile devices for every person in the world.
It's no wonder this trend is sometimes
referred to as the "mobile revolution."
But what does this mean for search? How
will mobile SEO -- including keyword research, content creation and device
targeting -- be impacted? This post will look at current trends in mobile
search, and how you can get ahead of the game.
"Mobile
first" moves beyond responsive design.
Mobile first is a popular term these days,
but what does it really mean?
A few years ago, the phrase mobile first
was largely used to describe the need to accommodate increased mobile usage by
having a mobile app or responsive website design. Basically, the term was
telling us to get our apps and websites ready "now."
Today, the words and definition of
"Mobile first" has become a clarion call we need to heed as
marketers. Most marketers and business owners are on board with having a
mobile-friendly site. The so-called Mobilegeddon update of 2015 spurred many complacent site
owners to action. And, those persons who have been comparatively sluggish in
their perception of the magnitude of how quickly this "thing" is
moving? Those who weren't convinced the first time? Their minds may have been
changed earlier this month -- when Google increased their mobile-friendly ranking signal.
Mobile first is much bigger than just
having a mobile-friendly site design. It encompasses user experience, keyword
research and content creation.
Perhaps most importantly, mobile first is
looking at user intent by asking, "How are our customers and prospects
using various devices to get the information they need?" Many of the
trends below touch on this question.
Apps
have now overtaken mobile browsers
According to Flurry Mobile, 90 percent of time on mobile is now spent in
apps; the remaining 10 percent is spent in browsers. The most popular apps
remain Facebook (accounting for 19 percent of time on mobile),
entertainment-based apps (17 percent) and gaming apps (15 percent).
This trend has serious implications for
marketers who are investing heavily in mobile sites (as opposed to apps). Simon
Khalaf, CEO and president of Flurry describes the problem perfectly:
"Historically, the media industry has relied almost entirely on search for
user and traffic acquisition, building entire teams around SEO and SEM on the
desktop web. But search engines are predominantly accessed from a browser. If
mobile users aren’t using browsers, the media industry will have to look for
new approaches to content discovery and traffic acquisition."
Micro-moments
replace in-depth search.
Mobile users are
increasingly using search to get instant answers to their queries. Whereas
desktop (and often tablet) users are more likely to engage in longer, more
in-depth search sessions, smartphone users expect bite-sized, instantaneous
answers or information. Users may experience hundreds of these "micro-moments" each day. According to Google, these
queries fall into four categories:
·
I-want-to-know: e.g.,
"How old is Barack Obama?"
·
I-want-to-do: e.g.,
"Download Angry Birds"
·
I-want-to-go: e.g.,
"How do I get to First National Bank?"
·
I want-to-buy: e.g.,
"Buy bedding online"
These moments represent important
opportunities for marketers. Optimizing for these "in the moment"
searches allows marketers to engage with consumers in real-time, capturing
their attention throughout every part of their day.
Complex
natural language queries are possible.
Google has been able to
interpret natural language queries for a while now. Since the introduction of
Knowledge Graph in 2012, Google has been able to handle everything from
single-word queries (e.g., "California") to longer, more intuitive
queries (e.g., "What is the capital of California?"). Google has
recently upped their game, announcing an improved ability to deal with complex natural language queries.
This means users can ask more complicated questions, relying on Google to more
accurately interpret the meaning behind the queries. The examples Google gives
include:
·
Time-based queries:
"What was the population of Singapore in 1965?"
·
Questions using
superlatives: "Who are the tallest Mavericks players?"
·
Complex
question-combinations: "What are some of Seth Gabel's father-in-law's
movies?”
Clearly, today's mobile
search is far more sophisticated than it was even a few short years ago.
This is a benefit to both users and marketers as they seek to find and provide
the most relevant information possible.
Mobile
search = local search.
According to Google, one third of all mobile searches are now local. This means
mobile users are far more likely to perform "I want to go" and local
"I want to buy" queries (both of which tend to have much higher
commercial intent), and therefore opportunities for marketers. Businesses
trying to rank in local search should use the same optimization strategies they
would for a non-local site. However, additional location-specific
strategies should also be deployed:
·
Getting listed in local
directories
·
Earning review signals
(quantity of reviews, diversity of reviews, etc.)
·
Maintaining consistent
NAPs (name, address, phone number) across all websites and listings
·
Using location-specific
keywords (including hyperlocal keywords - such as, street or neighborhood
names)
·
Inbound links from local
publications and blogs
The
journey happens across multiple devices.
We know that mobile has overtaken desktop when it comes to search. However,
users aren't abandoning their desktops -- not by a long shot. Research is
consistently showing that we use multiple devices to accomplish tasks online.
For instance, we may start researching a product on our mobile device, but then
complete the actual purchase on our desktop. Google refers to this as multi-screening. According to Facebook's own research, the customer journey may be even more complex:
"[T]he path to purchase is by no means linear. In today’s multi-device
world, people are discovering on one device, researching on another and
converting on a third. Add in activity that happens in-store and it becomes
even more complex."
Facebook's research found that mobile is an
integral part of the purchase funnel, even when it's not the only part. For
instance, nearly half (45 percent) of all shopping journeys contained at least
one action on mobile. Marketers will need to continue to find ways to keep each
leg of the journey consistent, seamlessly guiding users through the purchase
process...regardless of which device they're using.
Search
on tablets and smartphones are different.
When we talk about
mobile, we're usually referring to both mobile and tablet. However, the use of
each product can differ quite significantly, both in terms of usage and
search intent. Here's what we know about the differences between tablets and
smartphones in 2016:
·
Smartphone users are now
more likely to make purchases than tablet users. Just a few years ago, the reverse was true. This year, 20 percent of all online
orders will be made from smartphones, as compared to just 9 percent on tablets.
·
Almost twice as many
searches now take place on phones compared to tablets: 80 percent of internet
users conduct searches via smartphone, compared to just 47 percent on tablets.
·
While smartphones are
used anywhere and everywhere, tablets are more likely to be used at home or
work. Smartphone users tend to be more action-oriented: they'll be more likely
to perform "I-want-to-go" and local "I-want-to-buy" queries.
Tablet users, on the other hand, are more likely to engage in longer search
sessions and more in-depth content consumption.
Marketers may need a to look at a separate content
marketing strategy for targeting mobile and tablet users, and they
should be aware of the differences in usage and intent. This may be the time to
consider that there may be a way to up the game for savvy marketers who can
figure a way to garner the advantages of targeting the tablet users.
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