Father and son on the busYou probably already know that optimizing your website for SEO is practically a requirement for any business who wants to build an online presence. It’s essential to allow customers to find your catalog online as easily as they find it in their mailbox. What you might not have realized is just how important it is to optimize your content specifically for mobile devices.

Mobile search (users browsing and searching the Web on smartphones and other devices) has finally surpassed searches performed on PCs, according to Search Engine Watch. In the past, users might have been merely inconvenienced by your site’s lack of mobile optimization, but now it might mean that a significant number of Web searches don’t find your content at all.

Google wades into the fray

Count on Google and its updates to keep the SEO world on its toes: As of April 21, Google’s search algorithm now takes “mobile-friendliness” into consideration as a ranking factor.

It’s important to note that this ranking factor is just one out of more than 200. However, consider that an astounding 91% of all small business websites are not yet mobile-optimized. That means when a customer is out and about and needs to access your website, a tiny version of your regular website appears — unreadable on a smartphone screen, and utterly unhelpful.

And that not only frustrates users, but drives them away as well.

Are you losing customers?

SmartCompany reports that because of the Google update, websites that are not mobile-optimized could lose 20-30% of their web traffic. So if you haven’t yet optimized your website for mobile users, now is the time.

You can update your site in any of three ways:

  • Responsive design: This means that the site adapts to different sizes and types of screens, so the site doesn’t show up as an unreadably miniscule version of itself.
  • RESS/Adaptive/Dynamic Serving: There are different ways to deliver content to mobile devices. Responsive websites use the same URL as your regular website but might check the screen resolution on your device, while adaptive or dynamic sites change the URL to a different one for mobile users. RESS combines the two approaches using the same URL.
  • Separate Mobile Site: The best practice is to have a single site that is mobile-optimized for a variety of devices, but the next best thing is to have a separate site for mobile visitors — preferably one that includes a “click to call” button so users know how to take action and can easily do so.

For more information on getting your website ready for mobile optimization, Google offers some free tools to help you identify mobile usability issues: the Mobile-Friendly Test and Mobile Usability Report.

Not sure which approach is right for your website? The options are technical and can be overwhelming. An SEO and web design expert can advise you on what is best for your business and get your website mobile optimized so you don’t lose any more customers.

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering how to make your digital catalog more mobile-friendly, contact your Dingley Press representative and we’ll be happy to help.

Your print catalog is the foundation for all your marketing efforts, so make sure it’s working for you. Talk with your Dingley representative about ways you can integrate digital media promotions into your print catalog. Contact The Dingley Press at 888-346-4539 or info@Dingley.com.