Mobile SEO - 5 common mistakes + 5 quick wins

What is mobile SEO?

Mobile SEO is a sub-discipline of search engine optimisation (SEO) and refers to the optimisation of websites to achieve better visibility and higher rankings in search engine results. This optimisation approach became necessary with Google's mobile-first indexing, as Google has since used the mobile version of a website to assess its ranking in the search results.

Top mobile SEO statistics

Source: Ahrefs

1. 2% of all website traffic worldwide comes from smartphones. (Statista)
2. More search queries are made on mobile phones than on desktops. (Think With Google)
3. 51% of smartphone users have come across a new company or product while searching on their smartphone. (Think With Google)
4. On average, you get 27.7% of clicks when you rank #1 on mobile devices, while you only get 19.3% of clicks when you rank #1 on desktop. (SEOClarity)

Why mobile SEO is an essential part of online marketing today

Have you ever thought that your smartphone and/or tablet - your constant companions in everyday life - have changed the rules of the internet? We surf, shop, communicate and search online on a daily basis, all via mobile devices.

As an entrepreneur using the digital stage, adapting your website to this circumstance is therefore not a luxury, but an absolute must.

The use of the internet with mobile devices has increased rapidly in recent years. In Germany alone, the proportion of smartphone users was already 84 per cent in 2022, according to media information from the German Postbank.

Source: Postbank

The situation is very similar for online shopping. According to an m-commerce study, 79% of online shoppers use mobile devices for their purchases.

Source: M-Commerce

This trend shows no signs of slowing down and highlights the importance of focussing on the mobile user experience (UX).

Google favours mobile sites

Google has recognised how important mobile devices are for users and has reacted accordingly. Mobile SEO has been a ranking factor since the mobile-friendly update in 2015.

And in 2018, Google introduced the mobile-first index to finally take the "user first" approach into account.

This means that the mobile version of a website is prioritised for ranking in the search results. A poor mobile user experience can affect your rankings and ultimately your visibility.

Improved user experience

Mobile users expect a fast and user-friendly website that looks and works well on their device. When your website is optimised for mobile devices, you ensure an improved user experience, which in turn can lead to visitors staying on your site longer and even becoming customers.

Create a competitive advantage

In a world where companies are competing fiercely online, a website optimised for mobile devices can give you a decisive advantage. A site that loads quickly, is easy to navigate and provides valuable information will help you stand out from the competition and engage your target audience.

Mobile optimisation: the basics of mobile suitability

To ensure an optimal mobile user experience, it is crucial to understand the basics of mobile optimisation and choose the right strategy from responsive web design, dynamic serving and separate mobile websites.

Responsive design: a flexibly scalable solution for all devices

Responsive web design automatically adapts to devices and screen resolutions and is based on the use of CSS to create flexible layouts and elements. It uses CSS media queries and relative units to adapt the display for different screen sizes, making it user-friendly and future-proof.

Advantages and disadvantages of responsive web design at a glance

Dynamic serving: adapting content to the respective end device

Dynamic Serving offers a powerful solution to optimise websites for different devices. In contrast to responsive web design, it delivers different content and HTML codes depending on the end device. The technology is based on recognising the user agent so that you can create different versions of your site for smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs. During implementation, it is important to ensure correct user agent recognition and the use of the Vary HTTP header in order to avoid problems with the user experience and search engine indexing.

Advantages and disadvantages of Dynamic Serving at a glance

Separate mobile website: The alternative for a customised mobile version

A separate mobile website is suitable for companies that want to offer their mobile users a different experience than on a desktop PC or with demanding technical requirements. However, it requires more effort and maintenance than responsive web design or dynamic serving. With this solution, you should follow mobile SEO best practices and ensure good integration with the desktop version to provide an optimal user experience.

Advantages and disadvantages of a separate mobile website at a glance

Own app: An additional option to improve the mobile user experience

A custom app can increase the mobile usability of your website by providing a personalised user experience, enabling offline functionality, using push notifications for direct communication and integrating device features such as GPS, camera or microphone. These benefits can improve the user experience and increase customer loyalty.

Advantages and disadvantages of your own app at a glance

Decision for or against an app

Despite the many benefits an app can offer, it's important to carefully consider whether it's the right choice for your business and your target audience. Developing an app can be expensive and time-consuming, and it's crucial that it offers clear added value over a mobile website. You should also bear in mind that apps need to be regularly updated and adapted to different operating systems and devices

Decision support: Which mobile SEO configuration is right for you?

To choose the right mobile SEO configuration for your website, you should consider the following factors:

1. Weigh up the pros and cons of the different approaches
2. The needs of your target audience: which devices do they use most often and which features or content are most important to them
3. Your resources: How much time and money can you invest in developing and maintaining your website?
4. The flexibility you need: Do you want to offer different content or features for different device types?

Once you have considered these factors, you can make an informed decision about which mobile SEO configuration best suits your project. Remember that there is no universal solution that is equally suitable for all websites. The best solution depends on your individual requirements and goals.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you choose a mobile SEO strategy that offers an optimal user experience for your visitors and at the same time fulfils the requirements of search engines. By balancing these two aspects, you will ensure that your website is attractive and effective for both your target audience and search engines.

Considering your target group and budget

When it comes to mobile SEO optimisation, understanding your target group and budget planning are crucial. Understand the needs of your target group and analyse user behaviour to identify effective optimisation measures. Prioritise within your budget and focus on high-impact measures. Be flexible and adapt your strategy to changes in technology, search engine algorithms and target group needs. In this way, you will achieve effective, sustainable optimisation and benefit from mobile SEO in the long term.

Mobile SEO and Google: the importance of indexing your mobile site

Indexing your mobile website is a crucial step in signalling to Google and other search engines that a mobile version of your website is available. If your mobile site is indexed correctly, it will be prioritised in search results for mobile devices.

Send signals to Google: Show that your mobile site is available

Here are some tips on how to make Google aware of your mobile site:

Responsive web design

If you use a responsive web design, you don't need to take any additional measures to draw Google's attention to your mobile site. As the content and URL of the desktop and mobile versions are identical, Google automatically recognises that the page is optimised for mobile devices. However, make sure that you insert the meta viewport tag in the HTML header of your page to control the scaling and size on different devices:

Dynamic Serving

With dynamic serving, the HTML code changes depending on the user ID of the end device. In this case, you should use a Vary HTTP header to tell Google that the content varies depending on the user agent. This encourages Google to visit your page with both a desktop and a mobile crawler:

Separate mobile URL

If you use a separate mobile URL, you need to make sure that Google recognises the relationship between the desktop and mobile versions of your site. You can do this by adding a link tag with the relation alternate in the HTML header on the desktop page that points to the mobile version:

Conversely, you should insert a link tag with the relation canonical on the mobile page that points to the desktop version:

By following these steps, you will ensure that Google indexes your mobile site correctly and you can realise the full potential of mobile SEO. In the next section, you will learn how to check and further improve the mobile suitability of your site.

The role of Google Search Console for checking your mobile site

One of the most important tools to help you optimise your mobile website is the Google Search Console. It provides you with valuable insights into the performance of your website and helps you to recognise potential problems and areas for improvement. In this section, you will learn how to use the Search Console to check and optimise your mobile site.

Verify your website

Firstly, verify your website in Google Search Console to be confirmed as the owner and gain access to helpful tools and reports. This can be done by uploading an HTML file or adding a meta tag.

Check the mobile usability

Google Search Console has a special mobile usability report to help you identify potential issues on your mobile site.

The report shows affected pages and gives recommendations on how to fix them to improve the mobile user experience.

Keep an eye on crawling and indexing statistics

Keep an eye on your website's crawling and indexing statistics using Google Search Console to identify potential issues and analyse performance in search results.

Use the reports to adjust your SEO strategy and improve mobile rankings in particular. Check the Google Search Console regularly, activate notifications for immediate problem alerts and stay informed about potential improvements.

Improve the user-friendliness of your mobile website for mobile devices

Usability: Why a user-friendly website is important for mobile users

Usability is crucial for mobile users as it promotes a positive user experience, keeps visitors on the website longer and increases their willingness to use products or services. A user-friendly mobile website leads to better search engine rankings as factors such as dwell time and bounce rate are taken into account. Good mobile usability reduces the bounce rate by making it easier to find information and navigation. Finally, a user-friendly mobile website can increase the conversion rate by simplifying the purchase process or newsletter sign-up.

Optimise display areas and font sizes for readability

One of the most important aspects of mobile SEO optimisation is the readability of your website. As mobile devices have smaller screens than desktop computers, it is particularly important that you adjust the display areas and font sizes to ensure optimal readability. This section explains how you can achieve this.

Adjust display areas

Optimise the readability of your website for mobile devices by adjusting display areas and font sizes. Configure the display area using the <meta> tag to adapt the content for different screen sizes.

An example of such a tag is

Choose a sufficiently large font size (at least 16 pixels for main text, 14 pixels for smaller elements)..

...and use flexible font sizes such as em, rem or vw for different screen sizes. For example:

By optimising display areas and font sizes for readability, you ensure that your website is easy to read for mobile users.

Design buttons and links for easy operation on touchscreens

Optimising buttons and links for mobile devices is crucial for a user-friendly website. Pay attention to size and spacing so that they are easy to use and accidental clicks are avoided. Ensure visual clarity with high-contrast colours and clear labelling. Use a responsive design to ensure good functionality on different devices and screen sizes. Give users feedback on interactions and test regularly on different devices and browsers to identify problems and optimise the design.

Optimise page speed and core web vitals as important factors for mobile user-friendliness

The user experience and loading times of your mobile site are crucial to retaining visitors and achieving better Google rankings. Page speed and core web vitals (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, Cumulative Layout Shift) are therefore important metrics that you should pay attention to.

Optimise your site by compressing images, browser caching, minimising JavaScript and CSS, using CDNs and implementing lazy loading. This will improve loading times, user experience and search result rankings. More about page speed and core web vitals

Avoid mistakes: The 5 most common mobile SEO pitfalls and how to avoid them

There are some typical mistakes that occur again and again in mobile SEO optimisation. To ensure your website has the best possible success, it's important to know these pitfalls and avoid them. In this section, I would like to introduce you to some of the most common mistakes and give you tips on how to avoid them.

Five quick wins for immediate mobile SEO improvements

Conclusion: final thoughts and outlook

Now that you've learnt all this information about mobile SEO, you can better understand why it's the key to success in the mobile era. More and more people are accessing the internet on their smartphones and tablets every day, and to succeed in this new digital landscape, it's essential that your website is optimised for these devices.

Implementing mobile SEO measures will help you create a better user experience for your mobile visitors, which in turn will make them stay on your site longer and be more inclined to convert. At the same time, you are signalling to Google that you are taking the needs of mobile users seriously, which can have a positive impact on your ranking.

The future lies in the mobile use of the internet..

...and it's time for you as a website owner to seize this opportunity and secure your presence in the mobile world. By implementing the strategies and tips described in this article, you will not only be attractive to current mobile users, but also to the coming generations who will grow up with mobile devices and use them for their daily activities.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Mobile SEO and why is it important?

Mobile SEO is a sub-discipline of search engine optimisation that focuses on optimising websites for mobile devices in order to achieve better visibility and a higher ranking in search results. Mobile SEO is important because more and more people are using the internet via mobile devices and Google now only considers the mobile version of a website for ranking in search results.

What is Google's mobile-first index?

Google's mobile-first index is an algorithm update in which the mobile version of a website is prioritised in the search results. This means that a good mobile user experience is crucial for ranking in the search results.

What strategies are there for mobile optimisation?

There are three main strategies for mobile optimisation: responsive web design, where the design of a website automatically adapts to different screen sizes; dynamic serving, where different content and HTML codes are delivered depending on the device; and separate mobile websites, where a separate website version is created for mobile devices.

How can I check and optimise the mobile-friendliness of my website?

Google Search Console is a free tool that you can use to check the mobile-friendliness of your website and identify and fix any problems. You should also pay attention to aspects such as loading times, user-friendly design and touch optimisation to improve the mobile user experience.

What common mobile optimisation mistakes should I avoid?

Avoid mistakes such as inadequate mobile-friendly design, slow loading times, poor text readability, complicated navigation and poor touch optimisation. Avoiding these mistakes will improve the user experience on the mobile website, which can lead to a better ranking and a higher conversion rate.