How much traffic will I lose due to the recent updates in Google’s search engine algorithm? Any single entrepreneur has asked - at least once - this question to his SEO specialist. The Mobilegeddon brought us all into the SEO-pocalypse.

Despite what a lot of people have been saying recently, search engine optimization is not dead. You still have to adopt best practices; just you need to refocus your efforts towards mobile optimization: mobile SEO is critical to improve customer experience.

Released on April 21th, the mobile-friendly update is already affecting results page, starting from the online searches. Sudden panic is now unnecessary; we knew those changes were coming. Google’s focus on mobile search comes with no surprise, as it is a mere reflection of social and technological changes. Digital transformation is primarily a mobile transformation.

Think about it: the ultimate goal of any search engine is to offer the best content related to specific keywords, so that users can have all useful information to take decision or action. Every update, therefore, has inevitable consequences on the way brands plan their digital customer experience and create relationships with clients.

And the last mobile-friendly update is shaking this connection like nothing else before. Year after year, we spend more and more time using mobile devices. We mostly don't have time for long searches on a desktop computer; everything we need and we want is right there in our palm. Our life gets fragmented into a constant sequence of micro moments, real-time sessions driven by a specific intent.

The most important micro moments always happen within the framework a mobile device. It's pure instinct: the first thing we do, when we need information, is to pick up the smartphone. 60% of the entire traffic on Google already comes from mobile searches, and 80% of users admit that the smartphone is their favorite device to search the Internet (affecting especially local businesses).

The rise of mobile searches presents marketers with a considerable challenge: build an optimized identity on digital properties to increase opportunities and sales. The smartwatch and wearable technology will only accelerate this evolution, making it mandatory for everyone (even traditional retail & consumer products firms) to upgrade digital presence in the name of mobile friendliness.

Google’s algorithm, after all, does nothing more than respond to the impact of the smartphone on the way empowered customers decide what and where to buy. They want everything and they want it now, easy and seamlessly. And they will ultimately reward websites (and brands) that are fully optimized for mobile with higher rankings in their personal 'mind list'.

If you don’t show up in the first pages when they do searches on Google using ‘your’ keywords, it's like you don’t exist at all for them. Digital transformation can only be achieved through constant optimization, the key to be sure you are delivering an amazing customer experience.

When your competitors are optimizing their presence effectively and you are not, then you will perform poorly, with an harmful impact on everything from traffic to conversions to revenues.

Do you think SEO is dead? Well, think again.

What’s really surprising is that so many brands, despite the Google-Paranoia, have yet to begin optimizing their website, social media presence, content marketing, app development and general practices. While your traffic may not have disappeared overnight, it doesn’t guarantee you actually survived the Mobilegeddon.

The mobile-friendly algorithm is not just one of many updates. It’s a complete shift in the search dynamics. As more customers rely on their smartphones to find the information they’re seeking, your company will slowly be left behind and disappear.

What should you do to avoid this unpleasant fate? Stop considering SEO as a mere technical aspect of your business; incorporate optimization into your mobile marketing strategy. To deal with the challenges of digital transformation follow these mobile SEO tips, suggested by Brian Honigman, CEO of Honigman Media, in an article for The Next Web.

FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE

Mobile optimization is not just a responsive website. When you set your On-Page SEO priorities, you will have to take in mind that not all customers access your digital properties using cutting edge smartphones combined with fast connection. The key is to find the perfect balance between quality and performance, to ensure that your website operates smoothly for every uses and device.

DESIGN FOR THE EXPERIENCE

A well-designed website is just one piece of your digital cake. Social media pages; mobile app, e-mail & newsletters, e-commerce store: all these elements actively contribute to define the success of your business. More and more frequently, the tipping point of the customer experience is not the branded website. Being innovative means design for the omni-channel experience across all touch points.

OPTIMIZE FOR LOCAL SEARCH

Local businesses, together with online retailers, are the ones most likely to be hurt by badly optimized sites and pages. Why? Studies shows that up to 56% of mobile searches have local intent, and 78% of local mobile searches then result in an offline purchase. Customers mostly use the smartphone for local searches (stores, restaurants or services): "if your business has any local elements, it’s important to leverage these search habits and optimize your site accordingly."

There’s still so much confusion about what mobile optimization really means, that companies are often caught in frenzy and groundless fear.
Search engine optimization is not about looking for tricks to cheat the machine; it is about improving yourself to offer the best user experience to human beings.

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