LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

Crystal Ware

Head of SEO

www.location3.com

@crystalware

PREPARING FOR THE

MOBILE ALGORITHM SHIFT

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

DEFINING MOBILE

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

REAL-TIME: According to Google, the algorithm will run in “real-time,” meaning it will constantly be updating

and adjusting rankings based on a variety of factors.

PAGE SPECIFIC: The algorithm will be based on a page by page basis, meaning optimized pages will have

a better chance, but a lack for certain optimizations will not penalize an entire site.

APP INDEXING: Google has explicitly said that apps that are indexed in the engine will begin to rank better

in search. This places a big emphasis on linking and correctly marking up app pages the same as you would

traditional pages.

UX: User experience will play a large role in mobile rankings. Bounce rates, time on site, and click-throughs

will all play into how the engine perceives the relevance of a page. Design standards that improve usability

like button and text size will also play into this.

UNDERSTANDING THE ALGORITHM

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3 ALGORITHMS TO NOTE THAT EFFECT MOBILE

VENICEFebruary 2012

Greatly increased

local search results

for non geo-

modified searches.

HUMMINGBIRDAugust 2013

More than an update, Hummingbird

focused on

semantic search and

Knowledge Graph,

delivering results based on how

searchers speak rather than

type, preparing for mobile

voice search (think Siri).

PIGEONJuly 2014

Cited as an updated to Venice, modified how

Google interprets location searches, reducing 7-pack

and 3-pack map listing results.

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

The biggest opportunities and focuses for our

SEO strategy can be seen in this result.

MOBILE FRIENDLY TAG – Designates that the

page in the SERP is mobile friendly.

SNIPPETS- If relevant, Google will display

schema (snippet mark-up).

APP INDEXING- If a result has a related page

within an indexed application, that will appear

next to the result and push that result up further

in SERP.

SERP APPEARANCE- Cont’d

THE GOOD

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MOBILE USABILITY ISSUE– A message sent

to webmasters if their site may have issues that

violate the mobile algorithm.

SERPS USABILITY WARNING - If relevant,

Google will display a warning for users that

indicates certain aspects of a page may not

work in mobile.

SERP APPEARANCE- Cont’d

THE BAD & THE UGLY

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PREPARING FOR THE MOBILE ALGORITHM SHIFT

MOBILE DESIGN AND

DEVELOPMENT

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MOBILE FRIENDLY DESIGN OPTIONS

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RESPONSIVE DESIGN• Completely flexible regardless of device type

• Automatically orientates itself based on the screen

size, rather than detecting a specific browser or

device.

• Usually more expensive because of the work it

takes to code and test.

• Requires a significant amount of time up front

understanding page layouts and how those might

render across any device

• Load times may be longer, depending on the size

and content of your site.

• Provides a seamless user experience between

devices

• https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-

sites/mobile-seo/configurations/responsive-design

• https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/la

youts/rwd-fundamentals/

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ADAPTIVE OR DYNAMIC DESIGN

• Focuses on the user instead of the device or browser.

• Predefined set of layouts are developed based on popular device sizes and then the most relevant layout is presented to

the user depending on the user-agent

• Usually more cost-effective

• Provides a seamless user experience between devices

• https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/configurations/dynamic-serving

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SEPARATE MOBILE PAGES

• Mapping must be accurate between the desktop

and mobile sites.

• Never just send a mobile user to the homepage of

your mobile subdomain

• https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-

sites/mobile-seo/configurations/separate-urls

Desktop

Mobile

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• The content must be readable

• Navigation must be easy to see and use

• Make sure images are compressed

• The site needs to be fast

• Think local

• Include a link to the full site if your users are so inclined.

Great Resource:

https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/principles

Testing Tools:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

Webmaster Tools mobility error report

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

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Common Errors:

• View configuration errors

• Small font

• Touch elements too close

• Content not sized

• Flash usage

Common Mistakes:

• Blocked JavaScript and CSS

• Unplayable content

• Faulty redirects

• Slow load speeds

https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-

sites/mobile-seo/common-mistakes/

ERROR ALERTS!

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PREPARING FOR THE MOBILE ALGORITHM SHIFT

MOBILE APP OPTIMIZATION

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LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

According to Google, of users that are signed-in, 15% of Google searches on Android now return links to apps through this App Indexing process. In the past quarter, the number of clicks on app deep links have jumped 10x.

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On-Metadata

• Application title

• Description

• Imagery and Video

• Memorable Icon

Off-Metadata

• Ratings

• Reviews

• Links

• Social signals

APP STORE OPTIMIZATIONS

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APPLICATION INDEXING

App Indexing lets Google index apps just like websites. Deep links to your Android app appear in Google Search results, letting users get to your native mobile experience quickly, landing exactly on the right content within your app.

This is done by creating relationships between the content on your web pages and deep links to content within your application. The first step in this process is to map the content of your web pages to content or functionality that exists within your app. Once mapping is completed, several steps follow to properly implement the deep links and connect your app.

First, you must specify intent filters in your app that will define how to reach the content within your app. This enables you to add deep linking to your app.

Second, you must connect your app to your website through the Google Play Console and Webmaster Tools.

Third, you must provide the deep links. After your app and website are connected, if your app is using an HTTP scheme for handling deep links, Google will automatically start indexing the content of your app using URLs that Google has discovered through web indexing and that map the intent filters established in the first step. If your app is using a custom URI scheme, you will need to specify corresponding deep links to webpages.

To ensure all code has been implemented properly, complete this launch checklist.

Testing your deep links can be done by entering a deep link URL in this testing tool.

LOCATION3 / A GOOGLE PARTNER

PREPARING FOR THE MOBILE ALGORITHM SHIFT

IMPROVING THE

USER EXPERIENCE

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SOLICITING USER FEEDBACK

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COLLECTING DATA

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

PREPARING FOR THE

MOBILE ALGORITHM SHIFT

1. Identify top traffic and conversion pages2. Ensure those pages are mobile-friendly

3. Consider responsive or adaptive design as a long-term strategy4. App store optimization

5. PR distribution of mobile app 6. Application indexation steps