5 Tips to Save Your Ranking Post ‘Mobilegeddon’

Most of us understand that no matter what industry we serve, it’s important to be mobile friendly. After all, consumers spend nearly 60 percent of their time on the internet on mobile devices.

However, Google’s new algorithm update — designed to provide a better search experience for mobile users – moved mobile optimization from nicety to necessity. In short, if your website isn’t mobile friendly, you can expect your search engine rankings, and ultimately your web traffic, to take a hit.

Here are five tips to help you fix your most egregious mobile mistakes and help you thrive in a post-mobilegeddon world:

1. Create a specific and well-placed call-to-action (CTA) button. 

Mobile users who find your business online have a conversion percentage nearly three times higher than if the same search was done on a desktop or laptop. In fact, 70 percent of mobile searches lead to online action within an hour. To make this magic happen, users need a clear, easy-to-find and easy-to-use CTA button.
 For example, change the color to an attention-grabbing hue or add some subtle animation. Furthermore, tweak your button copy to better communicate your value proposition. Create motivating text that drives people to take action — and be specific. Adding just one word after the word “submit” can boost conversion rates by as much as 320 percent.

Put some thought into where you place your CTA button. Position your sign-up form at the top of your landing page, alongside engaging content. This strategy will deliver maximum views to your form without requiring visitors to scroll all the way down to the bottom. And last but not least, make sure your CTA and all other buttons are large enough to be easily tapped from a mobile device.

2. Embrace social autofill.
 Many of us struggle to remember the slew of logins and passwords required to function in 2015. Social autofill has unparalleled potential to improve the consumer experience. Not only does it reduce your customers’ time on site, it’s a sanity saver, too. Sixty-four percent of users who frequently leave sites due to forgotten login information say social login is an option companies should offer.

The best reason to leverage social autofill? Our data shows conversion rates can increase up to 189 percent when form users take advantage of social autofill features.

3. Pare down the content on your mobile site. On mobile, less truly is more. According to one study, 57 percent of users wouldn't recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. And unfortunately, the temptation to include too much content on a mobile site can result in a clunky design that's difficult to navigate and frustrating to use. 

The amount of space available for content on a mobile device is often significantly smaller than on a desktop browser. The screens are smaller, it’s harder to scroll and it’s impossible on many devices to scroll horizontally.

With this in mind, make sure your most important content displays in the top few pixels of the page, and reduce visitors need to scroll whenever possible.

4. Make sure your web forms are mobile friendly, too. 
As you’re refining your website for Google's algorithm update, don’t forget about on-site resources like forms. These conversion-capture assets are a critical part of your online real estate, so make sure they're as mobile friendly as the rest of your site. 

Form length is especially critical when optimizing for mobile. The 2015 Form Conversion Report found that the average survey now contains 22 fields. Unfortunately, 22 fields might feel daunting to a consumer completing your form on a mobile device. 

If your site contains a field-heavy form that just can’t be shortened, try building a smart form that automatically shows or hides questions based on how users respond. Another option is to use a horizontal layout for checkboxes and buttons to create an illusion the form is shorter.

5. Be ready for all mobile devices. 

Don’t forget, there’s more than one kind of mobile device out there. In fact, Gartner projects "ultramobiles," which include tablets, hybrids and clamshells, will take over as the main driver of growth in the device market beyond 2014, with a growth rate of 54 percent. Ensure your mobile site looks as good on tablets of all sizes as it does on the traditional smartphone screen.

If you take the time to implement one or more of these tips, your website will be better armed for mobilegeddon. Your efforts will pay off, too. Mobile-optimized redesign results in a nearly 15 percent increase in unique clicks.



Chris Lucas is the vice president of marketing for Formstack, an online form builder. Follow Chris on Twitter at @chris_c_lucas.