Mobile user experience more important than ever before to SERP ranking

An increasing proportion of website users are accessing pages using mobile devices. In fact, since November 2016, mobile devices have overtaken desktop devices when it comes to accessing the Internet. As such, mobile optimisation should not be considered an optional extra for a business website.

Google and mobile-first indexing

Google’s announcement that they are adopting a mobile-first indexing policy means that business websites that are not optimised for use on mobile devices will lose out in SERP (search engine results page) ranking to those that are. Responsive design is no longer enough to be considered an effective mobile optimisation strategy. Sites should be designed with both mobile and desktop user experience in mind.

Mobile user experience

Users expect to enjoy the best possible experience when they visit a website. Slow loading pages, too much text, and images that do not display properly detract from the user experience. Your visitors will be more inclined to leave your site than wait for images to render properly. Instead, they will visit a competitor that has properly optimised their site for mobile users.

AMP

There are tools that can help improve your existing mobile site design. Google’s AMP can dramatically improve mobile page load times. Mobile users only give a website a couple of seconds to load before they move on. Speed optimisation techniques that are commonly deployed on websites may not be as effective for mobile websites.

Optimise for mobile

Mobile users enjoy media-rich content and benefit from shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, and shorter pages. Add images and video, embed social media content, and maximise the size of clickable buttons to improve their experience. You should also ensure that there is adequate space between clickable items, to prevent people from accidentally clicking the wrong links or pressing the wrong buttons.

Apps and more

You can also consider developing a mobile app. Apps typically provide the greatest experience. They are designed specifically for use by mobile visitors and they provide a dynamic experience. They also improve your branding, especially if you create a beneficial app that is used on a regular basis.

Excalibur Digital

Excalibur Digital provides software development and website hosting, as well as digital marketing and SEO services. We can help ensure that your website is optimised for mobile use to help improve your search engine ranking. Contact us today to find out more.