• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
(800) 689-1273
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin
Prospect Genius logo

Prospect Genius

Menu
  • Services
    • Websites
      • CoreSite
      • Free Google Business Profile Website Alternative
    • SEO
      • CleanSlate
      • Directory Dominator
      • SEO Content Writing Services
    • A.I.
      • AI Optimization Quick Start
      • GEO – Generative Engine Optimization
      • AEO – Answer Engine Optimization
    • Social Media
      • SocialStart
      • SocialBuzz
      • SocialStream
    • Pay Per Click
      • Google Adwords
      • Facebook / Instagram Ads
      • Remarketing
    • Email Marketing
      • EmailStream
      • ReviewStream
    • Tools
      • PhoneSwap
      • CallTrax
      • Spaminator
      • EmailMask
      • WebFax
      • AdTrax
      • MapTrax
    • Google Business Profile
      • Google Business Profile Rescue
      • Google Review Rescue
      • Google Business Profile Optimization
      • Google Review StarSaver
  • Reviews
  • FAQ
  • About Us
    • Charity
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Log In
You are here: Home / Archives for mobile search

Is Your Mobile Site Ready to Carry the Team for You?

Last Updated: October 26, 2017

At an industry event this week in New York City, Google’s Gary Illyes spoke about one of the search giant’s latest endeavors: mobile-first indexing. Illyes said this project has begun to roll out, with an undisclosed number of websites already affected. The timeline for a complete roll-out also remains undisclosed.
All of this “undisclosed” information makes the development sound more ominous than it is. We apologize for that. Information is scarce at this early stage, but don’t panic. Mobile-first indexing isn’t scary as long as you have a mobile-optimized website.
You see, the mobile-first index is just a different way for Google to create and rank its search listings. While Google has historically created this index based on desktop versions of websites, it will now be doing so based on mobile versions.
When Google first announced the mobile-first index project nearly a year ago, in November 2016, Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land explained it like this:

As more and more searches happen on mobile, Google wants its index and results to represent the majority of their users — who are mobile searchers.
Google has started to use the mobile version of the web as their primary search engine index. A search engine index is a collection of pages/documents that the search engine has discovered, primarily through crawling the web through links. Google has crawled the web from a desktop browser point of view, and now Google is changing that to crawl the web from a mobile browser view.

The key here is mobile-optimized websites, not just mobile websites. In other words, any old mobile version of your website won’t do. Your mobile site must be an identical match with your desktop site. All content and links should be the same on each version. If your mobile site has less content or fewer pages, it won’t rank the same. Therefore, websites with a responsive design (meaning they adapt to any screen size without losing readability or usability) will be the most successful with this new index.
Long story short: A mobile-optimized website just became your star player. You can’t win without it.
Again, Google (in typical fashion) isn’t giving us very much information about the development beyond what we’ve shared here. However, according to Illyes, Google does plan on making an official announcement, including a thorough explanation and roll-out timeline, on its blog some time in the near future. Stay tuned, we guess?
In the meantime, go ahead and check out what we know so far over on Search Engine Land!

Looking Ahead: Our Online Marketing Predictions for 2017

Last Updated: December 8, 2016

At the end of the year, we find it useful to take stock of all the industry developments we’ve observed over the past 12 months and try to predict what trends the new year will bring. Understanding the industry’s online marketing predictions for 2017 is the best way to make sure you start the new year on the right foot.
So let’s get right into it. Here are the most significant online marketing predictions for 2017 you need to know about.

1. Putting a Premium on User Experience

Industry experts widely agree that search engines like Google are putting an increasing premium on user experience. Google is shaping its algorithms to accommodate what search users want and expect from their web browsing experience.
And here’s how Sam Oh of Entrepreneur.com describes the expectations of today’s users:

People are no longer satisfied with good speeds and reasonably navigable sites. They now expect websites with nigh on instantaneous load times and sites that are easier to navigate than the back of your own hand.

Oh adds that Google is showing “clear favoritism” toward websites that fulfill these expectations. Google prefers sites that have a low bounce rate and more time spent on each page, which indicate that a site loads quickly, is optimized for mobile devices, and provides whatever information the user is looking for. We’ll discuss these points in depth in the next two online marketing predictions for 2017.

2. Favoring Mobile Usability Even More

Google has already shown a preference for mobile-optimized sites this year, as the volume of mobile searches overtakes desktop searches. What you’ll need to look out for in 2017 is how the definition of “optimized” has shifted.
“Mobile optimized” used to mean your webpages were formatted to shrink and fit a mobile device screen with relatively easy navigation and readability. Now, it means your mobile pages must load super fast and bear very little resemblance to your desktop pages. They must be streamlined with menus and buttons that can be easily found and tapped on a small touch screen. Frankly, design elements left over from a desktop page have no place on a mobile page. Desktop elements will only encumber the usability and speed of a mobile page, thus lowering its SEO value.
These new, ultra-fast mobile pages are referred to as “accelerated mobile pages,” or AMPs for short. And they’re all the rage.
Writing for Forbes.com, R.L. Adams says that, as a result, you’ll want to start designing webpages in 2017 with a “mobile-first” approach, rather than adapting a desktop site for mobile after the fact:

By building a mobile-first design, you’re looking into the future and ensuring that you’re conforming to Google’s wishes. Those wishes are steeped in reality because mobile devices have become so important in our lives, that you simply can’t overlook mobile usability when thinking about SEO, especially when talking about SEO for the future.

Therefore, giving users a faster, more satisfying mobile search experience is at the top of Google’s priorities. Make sure you factor this into your online marketing in 2017.

3. Relying on Natural Language in Searches

Furthering its drive to deliver a better user experience, Google introduced an algorithm (called Hummingbird) that uses natural-language processing to match the meanings of similar words and phrases in search queries. Known as Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), this system places more value on content and natural language over exact keyword matches.
Why are keywords taking a backseat to natural language? Because more people now use their smartphone’s voice commands to search rather than manually type searches into their browser. People tend to ask complete questions instead of speaking in disjointed keywords.
For example, a couple of years ago, if someone was looking for a local restaurant, they would manually type their search term into the browser using keywords. It would look like this: “restaurants Albany NY.” But now, people are more likely to vocally ask Siri or their Android devices to do their searching for them. The same search for a restaurant now sounds like this: “What are the best restaurants in Albany, NY?” This is what we mean by “natural language.”
What impact will this have on your website? Essentially, your content must be detailed, dense, informative, and generally well written. This has always been the case to some extent, but it’s truer than ever now. In order to be favored on search results pages, your site needs more than a bunch of matching keywords. It needs lots of relevant and valuable content so it can be picked up by Google’s natural language processor.
While Google was already moving toward natural language this past year, you can expect an increasing emphasis on it in 2017.

Give Users What They Want

Again, our online marketing predictions for 2017 boil down to one thing: user experience. To enjoy online marketing success in the coming year, you’ll have to help search engines like Google improve user experience. Accelerated mobile pages and natural language processing are two very significant ways Google seeks to do this. Adapt your online marketing to fit these trends.
Good luck!

Prospect Genius logo

Contact Us

Prospect Genius
279 Troy Rd
Ste 9 #102
Rensselaer, NY 12144

Business Hours

Mon – Fri: 9am – 6pm ET

 (800) 689-1273
 hello@prospectgenius.com

Let’s Connect!

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

What Drives Us?

Our passion is helping small businesses thrive. It’s why we get out of bed every day. Too many business owners are cheated and lied to every day so we see it as our duty to be a beacon of truth, a safe harbor, in an often unscrupulous industry.

Client Portal App


Helpful Links

  • Case Studies
    • Negative Review Attack
    • Resiliency of SEO Strategies
    • Facebook Ads for Growth
    • Google PPC Ads Double Calls
    • Facebook Ads vs Google Ads
    • SEO Brings Online Success
    • GBP Optimization
    • Prospect Genius > Home Advisor
    • CleanSlate Creates NAP Win
  • Professional Answering Services
  • Integrity Pledge
  • Porting a CallTrax Phone Number
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Sign up for our newsletter!

Join our mailing list and receive regular updates on how to effectively market your small business, along with exclusive service promotions.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Suspended Map Listing?

Just 2 failed attempts at reinstatement and your listing is gone forever! Luckily, we have a nearly 100% success rate!!

Google Business Profile Rescue

Don't Waste Your PPC Budget

PPC ads will quickly drain your budget if you don’t optimize them well.

Learn About Our PPC Services