- Over 60% of online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
- 50% of all search users begin their search on a mobile device (source: Search Engine Watch)
- 50% of mobile user activity results in a purchase (source: Mobile Path to Purchase)
The facts tell us mobile devices are now like a GPS system more people rely on for buying decisions.
How do people search on mobile? What points them to your brand?
Here are 23 critical facts about mobile SEO and 3 steps to success
MOBILE SEO
- 173,000,000 people in the U.S. own a smartphone while another 93,000,000 own internet-connected tablets (source: Pew Research Center)
- 125% is the growth rate of mobile traffic vs. 12% for desktop (source: Search Engine Watch)
- 88% of mobile search is for a local business or establishment (source: Digital Marketing Philippines)
- 83% of consumers using mobile to research make the purchase within a day (source: WOMP Mobile)
- 81% of people prefer mobile for its convenience and speed (source: Vocus Blog)
- 80% of their time on their smartphones and tablets is spent on apps rather than mobile browsers (source: comScore)
- 80% of smartphone owners use their device in stores to shop (source: Google – Mobile in Store)
- 74% of mobile users make use of a search engine before they purchase (source: Search Engine Watch)
- 66% of the time spent on online retail is done through smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
- 60% of consumers use mobile exclusively to make purchase decisions (source: Search Engine Watch)
- 60% of digital time is spent of mobile devices vs. 40% for desktops (source: Search Engine Land)
- 60 percent of mobile users expect a website to load in less than three seconds (source: Gomez – What Mobile Users Want)
- 57% of users say that they won’t recommend a business with a poor mobile experience (source: Google Mobile Playbook)
- 55% of consumers using mobile to research want to purchase within an hour (source: WOMP Mobile)
- 53% of the time spent on the internet comes from smartphones and tablets (source: comScore)
- Mobile searchers are 51% likelier to make a purchase (source: Google – Creating Moments That Matter)
- 49% of mobile search engine users made a purchase on their device within the past six months (source: Small Business Computing)
- 48% of consumers using mobile for research start with a search engine (source: Smart Insights)
- 46% of mobile users say they are unlikely to return to a website they had trouble accessing from their phone (source: Gomez)
- 45% of users between 18 and 29 use mobile search daily (source: Icebreaker Consulting)
- 40 percent have turned to a competitor’s site after a poor mobile experience (source: Mashable)
- 33% of consumers using mobile for research start wit a branded website (source: Smart Insight)
- 28% growth in search queries on tablets; 17% on smartphone and -1% on desktop (source: Search Engine Land)
STEPS TO SUCCESS
User Experience Matters
- RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN: Responsively-designed sites use CSS3 media queries to serve the same content to mobile and desktop users using a fluid grid and a flexible design to automatically adapt to the size of a user’s screen
- PAGE SPEED: Beyond optimizing images, you’ll want to minimize code, leverage browser caching, and reduce redirects
- SCROLL: Mobile devices are simplifying and revolutionizing the ways sites are designed. “Above the fold” no longer has meaning in a world where we scroll endlessly
- FAT FINGERS: Accidental clicks occur if your buttons are too big, too small, or in the path of a finger that’s trying to get the page to scroll
- CLICK TO CALL: Make it easy for users to get in touch with a touch rather than having to read, remember and dial your business
- APP: Mobile users prefer App. For an established brand, an App can be a major advantage for user experience and SEO, Fortunately, apps can now be optimized for search in both Google and Bing
- DON’T USE FLASH: The plugin may not be available on your user’s phone, which means they’ll miss out on all the fun. If you want to create special effects, use HTML5 instead
- DON’T USE POP-UPS: It can be difficult and frustrating to try and close these on a mobile device. This might lead to a high bounce rate
Less is More
- SHORTER KEYWORD PHRASES: Physical search query input are more challenging when typing on a tiny keyboard. Mobile users enter shorter phrases,
- VOICE RECOGNITION: Search engines and mobile device manufacturers have invested heavily in voice recognition capabilities to ease the mobile input burden. Ask the Google App works in 38 languages
Go Local
- GOOGLE PLACES: Create a profile within Google My Business and Bing Places for Business so you business show up with a map when mobile users search
- LOCAL DIRECTORIES: Register in local business directories so mobile users and search engine know where you can be found
Below is an infographic on mobile SEO from Digital Marketing Philippines.
Do these facts cause you to care about mobile SEO? Has your business taken these steps to success?
