The mobile market is thriving. It seems like everyone has an iPhone (4, 4s, 5, 6… what version are they on again?), an android phone or some other kind of smartphone and/or tablet. Heck, even blackberry is attempting to revive their brand amidst all of the competition. Over the years, the growth of the mobile market has been exponential! Last year the mobile market contributed $139 billion into our economy. It is expected to rise all the way up to $400 billion by 2015!
The search industry has been dramatically affected by the increase in mobile usage. A recent study from April 2013 shows that consumers used their tablets and smartphones for 25% of their online searches, compared to 20% at the beginning of 2013!
Today, local business owners need to have a local search presence and recognize the fact that their website needs to be optimized for mobile devices. Google, Bing & Yahoo are continually tweaking their results to favor relevant answers that are within a specific proximity of the searcher. This means more results for local businesses, giving yet another reason to having an optimized mobile website that is user-friendly.
It’s pretty simple, when users find what they are looking for, they are more likely to become quality leads. Below are two vital reasons why a mobile website is important for SEO and branding:
1. Gives users the information they want from a mobile device in an easy organized manner. Bad experiences will hurt a business brand. The number one goal is to always create value for your user. According to a study by Google, some of the most important things you need to include on your mobile website are location, operating hours, and contact information. Google’s study states that 74% of survey respondents are more likely to visit mobile-friendly sites when searching on their smartphone.
2. Provide more keywords. We all know keywords are big for SEO. Having a mobile website gives you the chance to put your keywords to more use! However, remember to not just throw a bunch of keywords in your website. Be sure that it makes sense and provides value for your users! The value is what will help create positive branding and eventually, higher rankings.