Monday 29 December 2014

Mobile optimisation - make it easy for visitors to do business with you

Updates to Google's algorithm in April 2015 mean that optimising for mobile is no longer an option, but a necessity:

"Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices. "



What to consider when optimising for mobile


One key element to mobile optimisation is surfacing the transactional elements of your website - the features that enable users to do business with you. Let's look at an example from courier company TNT.

TNT's recently optimised design allows visitors to conduct 5 actions straight from the homepage (get a quote, track a package, search, log-in, and browse the site structure via a drop-down menu), and a further two within a single click (register, and leave feedback):



Even on mobile devices where space is at a premium, 3 main actions can be carried out via the optimised site:



This is a vast improvement on the previous TNT design - although this desktop design renders correctly on mobile devices, calls to action for the end user are not immediately obvious:

Deciding which actions to optimise

Decisions you make about changes to your online presence should always be based on solid evidence. This can be obtained from a number of primary and secondary sources such as Google Analytics; user experience testing; online ratings and reviews; social media analysis; current best practice guidelines, and so on.

Search is key

Search is a key feature for mobile users - they are much less likely to try to navigate your site because text is harder to read and buttons harder to select on limited screen space. Ensure that your search results are optimised to return the best results for your top transactional features.


About the author
Claire Cresswell-Lane is a UK based, CIM Chartered Marketer specialising in digital marketing strategy and communications. You can contact her via LinkedIn or Twitter.