do this before desktop seo. yes, there’s a difference.
by becky livingston
seo for cpas: the accountant’s handbook
in late 2017, mobile search overtook desktop search for the first time.
more: 12 seo myths | quick tip: accelerated mobile pages| why you need an ssl certificate now | why tracking urls are so important | what goes into a buyer persona? | what is seo and why is it important?
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what does that mean for you as far as seo? if your site isn’t mobile-ready now, you must make it a priority if you want to continue to get website traffic.
in fact, it’s become so important, google’s putting more emphasis on mobile site clicks than ever before.
but just having a mobile site isn’t enough. you also have to be thinking about mobile seo before you consider its desktop cousin.
here’s how:
1. test your website for mobile readiness. google.com is a site where you can test a url. if you’re interested in testing specific pages only, enter each page’s url into the box, one at a time. click “run test.” the results will tell you how easy that page or site (if you use the main domain url to test) is to load on a mobile device.
2. semantic search. this advanced search technique is used to determine the searcher’s intent rather than their specific search term or phrase. that means, when you’re creating content, consider how the searcher may look for it.
for example, a person searches for “small business audits.” the semantic searches appear at the bottom of the search results page, including phrases like
- small business irs audit triggers,
- small business tax audit,
- how often do small businesses get audited,
- small business audit requirements
- and more.
the words in bold are the semantic terms google has associated with the original search. so, when you’re creating content, research semantic searches using a private browser or incognito browser window, then scroll to the bottom of the page for the semantic options. include those in your keyword phrases within the content or pages you’re sharing.
3. featured snippets. that is content that is created using bulleted or numbered lists, tables, videos, etc. and answers relevant questions with the basic five – who, what, when, where and why? industry snippets in the accounting industry include lists and videos. content headlines would include one of the basic five terms, e.g., “what are the five audit triggers for small businesses?” “how to i prepare for a small business audit?” “when do my taxes have to be submitted before i get penalized?”
the beauty of featured snippets is they fall in the search results’ zero position and often bypass the highest organically ranked items. one great place to find often-asked questions is the site answerthepublic.com. enter a topic like “taxes” and get all the questions people ask. then you’ve got a year’s list of featured snippet content.
below is an example of a featured snippet. i used an incognito browser window, and searched for how to avoid a small business audit. the first result is a featured snippet from legal zoom.
4. virtual assistant and voice search. siri, alexa and other virtual-voice search tools are also on the rise, according to a 2017 research study by voicelabs. one of the most relevant elements to voice search is it’s currently focused on local search. if you have a physical business location, securing your google my business or bing business listings will be crucial.
also, optimizing for natural language queries will be key. google and bing’s keyword search tools should help you define those terms. social media listening tools will also come in handy to find out how your brand, products and services are mentioned online.
knowing these four things means it’s time to really consider
- your content,
- how it’s presented and
- in what tense.