Let’s face it, like it or not, we’re all going mobile! And Search Engine Optimisation is rapidly moving into the mobile era, as more and more of us are turning to our mobile devices for everything from basic phone calls to ordering tickets for the next big concert in town or to playing the latest mobile video game. The emphasis is currently on mobile apps, but a lot of mobile users do plenty of mobile web browsing, using mobile search, which means it’s time to do mobile search engine optimisation to get your internet business found by mobile searchers.

Targeting The Mobile User

The first question you need to know the answer to is, when they search, what is it that mobile users are actually looking for? More often than not, it’s something to do with socialising or entertainment, such as music, books, restaurants, movies and the occasional non-strenuous research.

So, if you have a business that’s extremely localised, you should definitely get your business listed in Google Local, with your listing showing your business name and the type of business you run. For example, a soccer shop would add some additional information to the business name, like this “All In The Game – Soccer Supplies”. Listings like this strike a chord almost instantly with the relevance algorithms, and that little Search Engine Optimisation tweak to the business name can get your business on the first page of the search engine results.

A Littel Misspelling Goez A Long Wey!(sic)

Using mobile devices has created a whole new way of writing and spelling – as u probly alrdy no! Just look at text messages, where less is always better. This has opened up a whole niche industry based around misspelled words, whether intentionally or otherwise, for which a little SEO work can be optimised to potentially extremely profitable effect. Even though practically everything gets auto-corrected on mobile devices, that doesn’t generally apply to company names, so be sure to include variations on your company’s name, address, etc., in your keywords, along with misspellings of industry-related keywords.

With brevity being the watchword for mobile users, abbreviations also present another goldmine of keyword opportunities. Users type in more or less the same query on a mobile device as on a PC, but with many words in a PC search being replaced by abbreviations in a mobile search. So, a PC search for “San Francisco Mobile Phone Centre” may become “Mobile Phone Centre SF” in a mobile search.

Mobile Social Media

Not only is mobile changing the face of the internet, but social media is, in turn, changing the face of mobile, and having a huge impact on search results. The importance of mobile social Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will continue to grow, as mobile becomes ever more prevalent.

An interesting development is the localisation of both Twitter and Facebook, with Twitter having introduced a geo-location feature, so that, if you’re at a restaurant, you’ll be able to check for tweeted reviews of that restaurant while you wait for a table, or check the tweets of people at the restaurant.

Facebook has its open social graph that will make recommendations of things you might enjoy, so you’ll see things like “While you’re in this part of town…. your friend, Andy, likes XYZ restaurant”, with an ad displayed based on your location.

So, making sure your internet business has a presence on the social graph will be a very important aspect of mobile marketing, as, the more “social” people become in their mobile activities, the more they’ll tap into these networks for their needs while they’re on the move. Making sure your business has a presence on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Yelp, as well as applications that are more mobile-centric, such as Foursquare, will be essential if you’re to tap into the massive potential presented by mobile SEO.

All this talk about mobile Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and making sure your business takes advantage of it will come to nought if your internet business web site isn’t mobile friendly, so that should be a number one priority for your business, if you don’t already have a mobile version of your web site set up. That means stripping your main web site down to the bare minimum and delivering only what is necessary to ensure your site renders correctly on mobile devices, which means, at least for right now, no Flash media. And, since mobile screens are small, keep things like forms as short as possible – the more the user has to enter, the sooner they’ll leave your site.

So, be proactive, and set yourself up for mobile internet success as well as traditional internet success by using the services of reputable internet consultants UK, specialising in SEO who’ll be able to assist you with all your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) needs, whether mobile or traditional.

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