In February of this year, Google made an announcement that it will be implementing a mobile-search algorithm on April 21, 2015. The intent is to improve mobile-friendliness by focusing on a more succinct user experience. The SEO community threw its hands up in the air with a high level of dissatisfaction. There are a plethora of non mobile-friendly websites out there and those particularly are quite upset about this announcement. 

For those website owners who currently have a mobile-responsive design this does not create much of a worry. But that is a bit of a misconception in reality due to the fact that a good portion of those sites also have a poor mobile user experience. So, in essence there is some form of equivalency there for both sides of the fence. As a website owner, this new algorithm change really gets you thinking about what is yet to come.

Based on the Google Mobile-Friendly Guidelines there’s quite a few areas that require stronger attention to detail. Let’s break those down in hope of giving you deeper insight on the areas you need to focus on.

Easier Customer Access on Mobile & Tablet Devices

The ultimate goal is to allow for a great mobile experience with your customers. That’s quite the tall order to fill though. Customers absorb a variety of information on mobile devices. Anything from being amused by content from your blog posts, finding directions to your store, or even checking out reviews to acquire a sense of comfort and credibility. Ultimately your goal is to make their lives easier by providing information in a cohesive fashion.

 

Ok, so here’s a few things you can do right away to improve the customer journey.

• Outline the customer acquisition path based on goals and objectives
• Ensure clickable elements are easily accessible and free of clutter prohibiting an interaction
• Simplify the conversion process especially on e-commerce websites
• Make each element easily accessible
• Verify that products or services offered provide enough content to outline value to the customers without overwhelming them by giving them too much

Measure Effectiveness of Customer Interaction

A part of the process in refining your mobile search potential entails in continued tweaking and refining of website perception. That includes variable testing by refining specific areas of the website so that it adheres to your audience in a strategic fashion. So, how do you measure the effectiveness of customer objectives fulfillment?

• Browse through Google Analytics and monitoring changing trends or patterns. If you do not have GA installed, well unfortunately you’re missing out on serious data and SEO potential
• Check the content section and monitor the most access landing pages of your website to determine topical interest
• Leverage the potential of On-Page Analytics in determining Click-Throughs that get the most amount of action
• Monitor pages that have the highest Bounce Rate and explore ways to improve it. See the article on how to improve your bounce rate for assistance
• Track goals completion and funnel visualization closer to determine drop-off points
• Investigate closer into demographics and interests to gain a clearer understanding of your audience

UX & UI Performance on Mobile & Tablet Devices

This area has always been tricky. As consumer behavior continues to evolve it is even more challenging to upkeep with the shifting level of interaction. Therefore, it’s imperative to continuously have a steady pulse on UX/UI and continue to improve user perception on mobile devices.

 

When optimizing UX/UI for mobile devices such as iPhone or iPad, considering the following elements:

• Vibrant and engaging graphics that resonate with your customer base
• Focus on elements above the fold that users will see right away when they hit specific pages of your website
• Evaluate the usage of CTAs on specific pages. Especially on key internal pages of the website intended for targeted customer engagement
• Social media sharing capabilities to help enhance buzzworthiness and ability for your customers to share website information onto their own feeds/networks. This gets people talking and helps spread the word about your brand
• Take the Google Mobile Friendly Test to identify the mobile compliance of your website.

This is not a definitive guide to mobile-friendly website enhancements by any means. The intent behind this article is to outline the parameters that every website owner should be concerned with leading up to the launch of mobile-search friendliness algorithm by Google on April 21.

How are you handling the challenges towards mobile-search friendliness adaptation? Are there any specific struggles you are aiming to overcome? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below or contact me today for a free consultation.