Well, here we are in 2018, the year Google has announced it intends to switch to a mobile-first index. Up to 60% of all Google searches currently originate on a mobile device, and the expectation is that this percentage will only increase. For this reason, there will be a significant change in the way search results are generated and displayed. It is the mobile version of your website that will be scanned, sorted, and ranked, rather than the desktop version.

For businesses that don’t have a mobile site, or who have a mobile site that doesn’t perform to Google’s speed standards, this change has dire consequences: there will be no way for these websites to appear on the first page of search results, which is where 90+ % of subsequent traffic goes.

[Tweet “Comscore reports that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020…”]

Understanding Mobile Search: Try This For Yourself

Google changes the search engine results displayed based on the device the user is using to search for you. In other words, the results of a desktop search will be different than the results of a mobile search.

Test this for yourself by searching for your own business on your desktop computer and then repeating the search on your phone. Try searching for your businesses by typing in key phrases you think your customers use, and also make use of your phone’s voice search feature. You’ll find that each different search you make yields different results.

Mobile Essentials: Optimize for Voice Search & Test Your Site Speed

Comscore reports that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020, with the popularity of smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa being a key reason why. Optimizing for voice search can mean reworking or adding to your website’s copy to highlight the communities you serve: this language is vital to have in place when customers search for ‘(business type) near me’.

Site speed is one factor we know Google is prioritizing when determining mobile search results. If you haven’t tested your site speed recently, visit testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com  This free tool assesses the many aspects of your site, including mobile usability, and tells you your load speed rating, along with a percentage estimate of how many visitors leave while waiting for the page to load.

Want to Learn More?

Jennifer hosted a Fireside Chat for jewelers and luxury retailers during JCK Las Vegas on the topic of mobile marketing. Watch this to see what she has to say about mobile search, proximity marketing, video marketing, mobile commerce, augmented reality and games.  If you’re thinking it’s definitely time for a website upgrade, you can find out more about the special incentive pricing that’s available right now.