In recent months there has been a huge amount of activity on the Internet because of all the newest Google updates in their algorithms. One in particular is the now infamous “Mobilegeddon” that sent webmasters scurrying to ensure that their sites and/or main landing pages were mobile friendly. Sometimes this led to an entire relaunch of a site and other times minor fixes were made so that Google didn’t ignore the results in mobile SERPs. Here we take a look at relaunching your site with local SEO in mind and why local SEO is a hot topic in mobile searches.
Highlights of Mobilegeddon
The changes made in Mobilegeddon actually only affect mobile searches. If a site is not responsive, that is to say easily viewed on any screen no matter how small, Google will not list it in mobile searches. Why? Their stated reason is because of the mobile user experience. Why send a user to a site they will not be able to view adequately, that takes too long to load and will be too hard to navigate? But that’s just the beginning.
Why Google Instituted These Rather Drastic Changes
One of the things that came to light when Google began working on these algorithms is the fact that the number of people searching from their mobile phones has now overtaken those who search from desktops. So if you want to make the greatest number of users happy you make the changes that will improve their experience. That’s logical to this point, right? If the majority of people searching do so from mobile phones, then logically that is the group of people you seek to please. Business 101.
The Importance of Local SEO in Mobile Searches
Now then, there is another side to this whole mobile user experience that has also become evident. It has long been evident that those people searching for local businesses do so on the fly. It is rare that someone sits down at their desktop to search for a Chinese restaurant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for example.
They will typically do a quick search on their way home from work or when out and about, then call to place their order, pick it up and continue on home. This is where webmasters were able to kill two birds with one stone. By relaunching or updating their site to be mobile friendly, they also had a chance to revamp to some extent their local Sioux Falls SEO. Google ranked the mobile friendly local SEO pages, mobile users found them near the top of the mobile SERPs and the entire experience was improved.
Use the time when your site is being relaunched or updated to be mobile friendly to make any changes needed to improve local SEO. If your business draws heavily on local traffic, it would behoove you to make changes at the same time to better target a local market. With a website that is responsive to the needs of the mobile viewer and expert use of local SEO keywords, you should notice an increase in traffic almost immediately. This is what is being evidenced around the country and something that bears careful consideration. Don’t lose out to the competition. Go mobile – go local.