The changes implemented in Google’s search engine algorithms recently have caused a pretty major disruption in the world of SEO. Websites must now be optimized for smart phones and tablets. If not, they will be ranked poorly in Google searches performed on mobile devices. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to improve your website’s mobile SEO.
1. Discard Flash
One thing that has gone by the wayside completely in SEO is Adobe Flash. Flash does not work on many popular mobile devices. Beyond that, flash is resource intensive and tends to do a good job significantly slowing down computers with less RAM like tablets and smart phones. As such, Google is punishing websites that rely on Flash. Try to phase out Flash on your websites. It has definitely been on the way out for a good while regardless.
2. Eliminate Horizontal Scrolling
Websites that are mobile optimized are only designed to scroll in two directions, up and down. Scrolling from left to right, however, should be eliminated. This can be an annoyance for mobile users who will have to zoom in and out to view the content on a page. Overall, horizontal scrolling isn’t good web design in general even when it comes to desktop and laptop operating systems.
3. Consider a Mobile Version
In certain cases, switching completely to a mobile layout may not be desirable. For example, you may already have a dedicated user base that prefers the layout as is. If that’s the case, one simple solution is to provide an alternate mobile version. This way both the previous users as well as future mobile users are happy. If you don’t want to create a mobile version for every page on your website, at least do so for any significant landing pages if you wish for them to appear in Google mobile search results.
4. Implement Blank Space and Buttons
Using a touch screen on a mobile device is quite different from using a cursor like with traditional operating systems. For one, it’s much easier to click on a smaller portion of a website with a cursor. This is not the case for most people’s fingers on tiny mobile screens. With this in mind, a good mobile optimized layout includes a decent amount of space in between links. That space makes sure that the user doesn’t have trouble clicking on each link individually. Using large buttons to click for links is an even better idea.