We spend tremendous amounts of time glued to our mobile screens, whether it’s to keep tabs on the latest news, check up on our loved ones, or text with friends. In this day and age, mobile phones are one of the most convenient devices to gain access to the internet—this includes social platforms and a plethora of websites.
Today, mobile gadgets account for 52% of global internet traffic, surpassing laptops and personal computers by an 8% margin. In the United States alone, roughly 63% of online traffic comes from mobile usage. Because of its convenience, portability, and ease of connectivity, the majority of internet users prefer to use handheld gadgets to access the World Wide Web.
With the exponential rise of mobile use in recent years, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can benefit from optimizing their digital platforms for handheld devices. In the tech world, this process is called mobile optimization.
Mobile optimization looks into eliminating the so-called “barriers” to conversion in a website. By reducing friction in the user experience (UX), companies are able to build a painless (and enjoyable) experience at all points in the user journey. And part of mobile optimization is content optimization. In order to increase inbound traffic and lead conversion, content optimization makes sure content is accessible to users and attractive to search engines.
There are several ways you can optimize your website’s content for mobile devices. One of the first steps is to make your content digestible to your audience. Offering information in a bitesize format can increase its visual impact to your mobile readers. Content has to be snackable to allow users to skim through whatever is projected in their small screens with ease. For long-form content, you can always chop your copy into multiple subheadings, arrange it in a table format, or provide a crisp summary.
While you want your content to be coated in sheer brevity, it also needs to be informative. Since 39% of internet users rely on mobile phones as research tools, website content that is most relevant to your target audience should be easily accessible. Whether that’s store location, company history, inventory list, or pricing details, make sure the most important data is always nearby. And when delivering content to mobile users, make it scrollable. Refrain from having your users click on various tabs or windows to get to access pieces of content they’re seeking.
Another method for optimizing the content of your website is to create variety. Avoid text-only content as this could easily bore your readers. Insert multimedia elements, such as image slideshow, infographics, video presentation, or a simple GIF, into your block of text. By presenting a wide range of media formats, you make your content more engaging to your audience. And of course, a rise in interactivity means an increase in sessions, traffic, and even sales for your company.
Another effective way of optimizing your website for mobile use—and eventually increasing its discoverability—is producing content for various search queries. There are four major types: commercial, informational, navigational, and transactional.
Search engines pull up recommendations that match users’ specific search intent. Whether they’re looking for a particular purchasable good or searching for instructional cooking material, search engines will suggest web pages that address these topics. For increased visibility in search results, align your content to fit the common search intent of targeted users.
Indeed, mobile optimization goes hand in hand with content optimization. If you want to provide the best user experience to your target audience, begin with the most important component of your website.
