How Do You Improve Your Mobile Site?

Your site needs to be mobile-friendly since most users now search on Google using their phones. But what does having a mobile-friendly site involve, and how do you begin? This SEO basics guide provides an overview of steps you can take to enhance your mobile site.

When is a site mobile-friendly?

A site is considered mobile-friendly when it:

– Allows users to complete tasks quickly and easily.

– Loads properly on smartphones and tablets.

– Has fast loading times.

– Displays content clearly without needing to zoom in.

– Provides easy navigation with touch controls.

– Offers extra features for mobile users.

– Is easily understood by search engines.

Why is mobile SEO important?

Mobile SEO is essential for ensuring that your content is well-presented on mobile devices. As the world becomes more mobile-focused, it’s crucial that your site is fully optimised for mobile users. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk losing out on higher search engine rankings, which can directly impact your revenue. Therefore, it’s important to prioritise the optimisation of your site’s mobile view, making sure it’s not just good, but excellent. A well-optimised mobile site enhances user experience, keeps visitors engaged, and helps your business stay competitive in a mobile-driven market.

Google has been using the mobile version of a site to determine its rankings since 2016. If your mobile site isn’t up to standard or displays less content than your desktop site, achieving good rankings will be challenging. This is why having a fully functional and responsive design for your site is crucial.

Google offers a helpful guide to improve your mobile site and has introduced the Page Experience initiative, which includes Core Web Vitals metrics. These metrics show how users and search engines perceive your site’s performance. Use them to identify areas for improvement on your mobile site.

Remember to treat your site as a single entity, not separate mobile and desktop versions. Your site should adapt to any screen size while maintaining consistent content across all devices.

How to improve your mobile website

To enhance your mobile SEO, there are a few key areas to focus on:

– Ensure a positive user experience.

– Make your site responsive to different devices.

– Optimise your site speed.

– Implement structured data.

– Avoid blocking JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

– Limit the use of redirects.

– Set the correct viewport.

– Avoid using interstitials or pop-ups.

– Check your site’s mobile-friendliness.

– Inform Google about your site.

Let’s dive into these topics in more detail.

Optimising Mobile SEO for Better User Experience

To boost your mobile SEO, focus on making your site easy to use. Start by identifying what actions you want users to take, like calling your business or making a purchase. Then, ensure these actions are simple to complete. For example, if you want users to call you, place your phone number in a prominent spot. If conversions are your goal, make the buy button easy to find and use. The goal is to guide visitors efficiently through your site.

Don’t just consider what you want—think about why users visit your site and what they typically do. Make those tasks straightforward. Any frustration they experience can negatively impact your results. Regularly test and optimise your mobile site to avoid these issues.

Responsive Design

Making your site responsive is key to reaching mobile users. A responsive design ensures your site adapts to different screen sizes while staying on a single URL, making it easier for Google to index. If you’re using WordPress, your theme is likely already responsive. However, it’s wise to check how your site scales in Google Chrome’s Developer Tools. If it doesn’t look right, consult a developer or consider switching themes.

Improve Site Speed

Site speed is critical for mobile SEO. Slow-loading sites lose visitors quickly, and they often don’t return. Because of this, site speed has been a ranking factor for years, and Google continues to prioritise it with updates like Page Experience and Core Web Vitals. For more advice on improving site speed, refer to our dedicated post on this topic.

Improve Your Site Speed with Better Web Hosting

The best way to boost your mobile site’s speed is by upgrading your web hosting. Many sites rely on budget hosting, which often shares server space with many other websites, causing slower load times. Investing in a reliable hosting plan from a reputable provider can make a significant difference and is worth the cost.

If you’re unsure where to start, check out our recommended WordPress web hosting companies. We’ve personally vetted them.

Optimize Your Images

A quick way to improve site speed is by optimizing your images. Avoid using large, high-resolution images on your site. Instead, scale them to the appropriate size and reduce their file size using tools like ImageOptim, Squoosh, or plugins like WP Smush. You can also consider using next-gen image formats like WebP.

Minify Your Code

Every additional request your site makes affects its speed. To reduce these requests, consider minifying your code. This involves grouping and linking assets like JavaScript and CSS, which reduces the number of files the browser needs to load. Plugins like WP Rocket can handle this, or you can use Cloudflare’s Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress to streamline the process.

Use Browser Caching

Browser caching allows the browser to save static elements of your site, so it only needs to download new or dynamic content on subsequent visits. This can be managed with plugins like WP Rocket, or you can set it up manually if you prefer.

Reduce Redirects

Redirects guide visitors from one page to another when a page has been moved or deleted. While useful, too many redirects can slow down your site. Minimize the use of redirects and avoid keeping links that point to deleted posts. Always use direct links wherever possible.

Use Structured Data to Enhance Your Mobile Site

Structured data is crucial for any site. It helps search engines understand your content better and can lead to better visibility with rich results. Ensure that your mobile site has the same structured data as your desktop version to avoid confusion for search engines. Tools like Yoast SEO can automatically add structured data, which you can adjust as needed.

Avoid Blocking JavaScript, HTML, and CSS

Do not block essential assets like JavaScript, HTML, or CSS. Blocking these resources can make it difficult for Google to access and index your site, negatively affecting your rankings. Check your Google Search Console for any blocked resources and remove these blocks to optimise your mobile site.

Improve Readability

Ensure that your mobile site is easy to read on various devices. Test your typography on different screens and make adjustments as needed. Good typography is key to a positive user experience.

Adjust Tap Target Sizes

Make sure buttons, links, and menu items are large enough to be easily tapped. Small or poorly placed targets can frustrate users and hinder navigation on your mobile site.

Specify the Correct Viewport

The viewport controls how your site appears on different devices. Set the correct viewport to ensure that your site displays properly on all screen sizes. Without this, you might show a desktop version to mobile users, which can be problematic.

Avoid Interstitials and Pop-ups

Large pop-ups or interstitials can disrupt user access to content and lead to penalties from Google. Avoid using these, or follow Google’s guidelines if you must use them.

Test Your Site and Notify Google

Run a mobile usability test with Google to identify areas for improvement. Regularly test your site as you make changes. Once your mobile site is optimised, inform Google using Search Console so it can be reviewed and indexed properly.