Avoiding Pitfalls: 10 Fatal Mobile SEO Mistakes to Watch Out For

07 Apr, 2024
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Mobile optimization is a crucial aspect of SEO in today's digital landscape. While many SEO consultants are well-versed in mobile SEO concepts like mobile-first design, accelerated mobile pages, and mobile-friendly interfaces, mistakes can still occur. Even reputable agencies can overlook mobile optimization, leading to lost traffic, lower rankings, user frustration, and potential revenue loss.

In 2017, the importance of mobile optimization is undeniable, as mobile devices have become an integral part of our daily lives. If your website is not mobile-optimized, it's time for a change. To help you identify and rectify mobile SEO mistakes, I've compiled a comprehensive list of common issues and provided solutions. This article serves as a valuable cheat sheet for auditing your own website or that of your clients.

Mobile optimization encompasses various aspects, including mobile design, mobile SEO, mobile content, and mobile user experience. These elements are interrelated and equally important. The issues discussed in this guide range from technical considerations to broader strategic concerns, all with the goal of improving mobile performance.

If you're interested in learning how to generate significant monthly traffic without spending on advertising, I'll share the specific steps I took to achieve 195,013 monthly visitors. Mobile optimization is a key part of this strategy, ensuring that your website is ready to capture a mobile-savvy audience.

1. You're overlooking how individuals consume content on mobile devices.
2. Avoid making your headline excessively large.
3. Incorporate an ample amount of white space into your content
4. You are optimizing for traditional keyword searches, not mobile keyword searches.
5. You are not segmenting your mobile traffic
6. Your JavaScript, CSS, or image files are blocked
7. You may still not have implemented responsive web design
8. When mobile users attempt to access a URL, they are greeted with a 404 error message.
9. You're not utilizing interruptions correctly.
10. Using Irrelevant Cross-References
11. Your mobile pages exceed a one-second loading time.
12. You overlooked "Accelerated Mobile Pages" (AMP).
13. Conclusion

You're overlooking how individuals consume content on mobile devices.

Understanding how people consume content on mobile devices is a crucial aspect of mobile SEO. While many might expect a discussion on AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), the focus here is on a fundamental but often overlooked element: content.

Consider these telling statistics: In the United States, the majority of digital media time is spent on mobile devices, totaling approximately 2.8 hours per day. This underscores the significance of tailoring content for mobile users and optimizing the mobile reading experience.

So, what are people primarily doing on their mobile devices? Surprisingly, one of the top activities is checking the weather.

In particular, they engage in specific activities on their mobile devices rather than opting for alternatives.

These activities include checking the weather, reading newspapers, and watching sports content on their mobile devices. In essence, they interact with a wide range of content, which often includes videos, images, and written articles.

Regarding news consumption, let's examine the preferred websites and apps:

Indeed, there's a notable outlier at the top of the list, and that's Flipboard, which isn't a traditional news site but a mobile app. Flipboard's popularity likely stems from its ability to curate and present news and information in a way that's highly optimized for mobile readers.

Your screenshots from your mobile device illustrate this well. The article from HBR appears inviting and user-friendly, catering to the preferences and habits of mobile readers. This emphasizes the importance of tailoring content for mobile consumption to enhance the user experience.

It's great to hear that surfing through the article is easy and enjoyable on Flipboard. User-friendly and engaging mobile experiences are crucial for retaining and attracting mobile readers.

That's right! Flipboard is designed to resemble a magazine, providing an aesthetically pleasing and engaging reading experience on mobile devices. It's an example of how optimizing content presentation for mobile can enhance the user experience.

Optimizing content for mobile users is crucial, and one way to do this is by using a large, comfortable font. It ensures that users can easily read your content without straining their eyes. A recommended minimum font size for body text is 16px, according to Typecast. This simple adjustment can greatly improve the mobile reading experience.

Avoid making your headline excessively large.

When the headline takes up the entire screen, readers are forced to scroll to view the first line of content.

Strive to prevent this issue by keeping your headline small enough to allow users to simultaneously view both the headline and the content or image, as shown here:

Incorporate an ample amount of white space into your content

Mobile users require white space to provide visual relief and maintain clarity of thought. Therefore, it's essential to use a generous amount of white space.

The most effective approach to achieve this is by composing concise paragraphs.

Have you ever observed that my paragraphs typically consist of no more than three lines? Wondering why?

I aim to deliver a positive user experience for both mobile and non-mobile users. To achieve this, incorporate headings and images into your content. These elements effectively break up the text and enhance readability.

It's essential to recognize that mobile readers have different reading behaviors compared to non-mobile users. They tend to scan, skim, and skip content, often saving it for later. Therefore, tailor your content to meet their needs by keeping these factors in mind.

You are optimizing for traditional keyword searches, not mobile keyword searches.

It may be surprising to some, but keyword searches function differently on mobile and desktop platforms.

This discrepancy makes sense when considering the following factors in mobile searches:

- Users tend to make typos more rapidly.

- Users prefer brevity in their input.

- Users frequently employ voice search rather than manual typing.

- Mobile users often search for location-based services, such as restaurants.

- It's important to acknowledge that mobile users may opt for voice input over text.

This is why you receive queries like this:

However, this phenomenon isn't limited to navigation inquiries.

There are even more complex and specific requests like these:

Instead of focusing solely on traditional keyword searches, consider optimizing for mobile search keywords, which often involve:

1. Phrases

2. Questions

3. Complete sentences

When conducting keyword research, make sure to select "Show ideas and stats for... all mobile devices" in Google Keyword Planner for a more mobile-centric approach.

You're overlooking the mobile user's path.

The mobile user's path differs from the standard desktop path, and these distinctions can influence SEO.

When creating your customer journey, prioritize the mobile experience as the starting point.

Designing the mobile customer journey as the initial step can streamline your mobile SEO efforts.

Your call to action is minuscule

A significant SEO mistake to avoid is using small calls to action (CTAs) that can have a substantial impact. You might have encountered small mobile buttons like this:

They are ineffective. The user's finger could accidentally click both buttons! You should design mobile buttons that span the entire width of the screen. I implemented this on my mobile site.

You are not segmenting your mobile traffic

How you track your mobile traffic significantly influences your SEO decisions. To create a segment in Google Analytics, follow these steps:

Click on "Reports."

Press on "+Add segment."

Select "Mobile & Tablet Access."

Then click “Apply”.

I suggest creating segments for different actions, user types, and channels. At a minimum, analyze your mobile traffic to adapt your SEO strategy to meet the needs of mobile users.

Your JavaScript, CSS, or image files are blocked

Blocking scripts or images on your site can result in lower rankings, as confirmed by Google themselves. Here's the quote:

"Blocked JavaScript, CSS, and image files... impair the rendering of our algorithms and the indexing of your content. This can lead to suboptimal placements."

The good news is that this issue can be resolved quite easily. Follow these steps:

Visit Google Search Console.

Select the property you want to analyze from the drop-down menu.

You will be presented with an overview.

Next, choose "Mobile: Smartphone" from the menu.

Click on "Fetch and Render." This may take a few seconds.

You can then click on the entry to view a detailed report. In this case, the URL has a 301 redirect.

If desired, you have the option to request Google to index your content.

Your content is not playable.

You may have encountered a message of this nature previously.

Frequently, the issue arises from embedding or outdated technology.

It's crucial to request your developer to adopt HTML5 standards for all content.

You may still not have implemented responsive web design

This might come as a surprise, as you might have assumed that responsive web designs are utilized by everyone.

Regrettably, this situation hasn't changed.

If your website still doesn't adjust to various devices, it's imperative to address this in the current year.

Websites that are not responsive tend to perform poorly, and sometimes they don't even appear in mobile search results.

Additionally, you are not regularly checking for crawl errors.

Mobile SEO issues can often be identified and resolved quite easily.

It's advisable to develop a routine of reviewing your mobile crawl reports.

Here's how to do it:

Go to Google's crawl error reports page.

Click on "Open crawl error report."

Choose your property from the dropdown menu.

Verify if there are any errors.

If your website is error-free, feel free to congratulate yourself.

However, if errors are present, Google will provide recommendations for resolving them.

Some of these errors are related to URLs and redirects. In the era of responsive web design, these issues are not as significant as they once were.

Occasionally, these issues may still arise. To address them, you can use a redirect mapping tool like the one offered by Varvy.

Using the tool, you'll be able to identify the source of the error and determine the necessary steps to rectify it.

When mobile users attempt to access a URL, they are greeted with a 404 error message.

404 error messages are universally disliked, but they become even more frustrating when encountered on mobile devices.

The crawl error report mentioned earlier is the most effective method for identifying and resolving 404 errors. This issue often arises with non-responsive websites. If you have a mobile-only page (e.g., m.example.com) but no equivalent page, ensure that users are redirected to the desktop page rather than encountering a 404 error page.

Your checkout process is entirely ineffective.

Mobile checkouts are increasingly prevalent.

If you have a checkout page, thoroughly assess it to ensure it delivers an excellent mobile experience.

Here are some fundamental requirements:

Large touchpoints

Spacious buttons

Progress bar

You're not utilizing interruptions correctly.

Interruptions aren't always negative.

There are situations, especially in marketing, where you may want to employ an interruption to facilitate a specific action.

However, if you decide to use interruptions, exercise caution. Google is aware that interruptions can disrupt the user experience.

On January 10, 2017, Google introduced a search signal that impacts the ranking of mobile pages that misuse interruptions.

Here is the announcement:

January 10, 2017 Update: Starting today, pages that hinder user access to content when transitioning from mobile search results will have lower rankings. As mentioned earlier, this new signal is just one of many factors we consider. User experience remains a significant factor, so a page can still achieve a high ranking if it offers valuable and relevant content. Please reach out to the webmaster forums if you have any inquiries.

Google distinguishes between three types of interruptions that they categorize as detrimental or "decrease content accessibility."

However, there are also interruptions that are acceptable.

The lesson here is to exercise caution when it comes to interruptions. If it's not necessary, avoid using them.

Using Irrelevant Cross-References

Another issue to watch out for is irrelevant cross-references, which are more prevalent on mobile sites compared to responsive ones. In certain instances, a mobile link may direct users to a desktop page, while at other times, it's the desktop version that redirects to the mobile edition.

The straightforward fix is to modify the link target.

A superior solution is to implement a responsive website.

Your mobile pages exceed a one-second loading time.

Mobile users, as well as Google, have little patience.

If your mobile site takes more than a second to load, it can lead to user frustration and a potential drop in your ranking.

To assess your website's speed, you can utilize Google's PageSpeed Insights tool.

Simply input your URL in the provided field and click "Analyze."

Google offers valuable guidance for enhancing your page speed.

However, they don't present a report on your site speed in seconds.

To determine your site's speed in seconds, utilize Pingdom's website speed test tool.

Input your URL and choose a location (ideally one that is geographically near to you).

Select "Start Test" and subsequently examine the results.

You overlooked "Accelerated Mobile Pages" (AMP).

AMP gained significant popularity a few months ago.

It's worth considering the use of AMP.

Why? It's quite simple. AMP-optimized pages load quickly on mobile devices and often achieve higher rankings.

However, it's essential not to jump to the conclusion that AMP is always the best choice. AMP pages can sometimes negatively impact the user experience.

While they are ideal for websites that frequently publish content, like news sites, if you aim to provide an interactive experience, you might want to steer clear of AMP.

Conclusion

In conclusion, for a comprehensive report on all your mobile-related issues, it's advisable to utilize Google's mobile friendliness test.

This process only takes a few seconds.

You can easily review the report.

Google provides a helpful mobile-friendliness rating to gain insights into your site's mobile usability. Many web designers, developers, and SEO consultants can create mobile-optimized sites effortlessly. However, sometimes tricky SEO issues emerge unexpectedly or go unnoticed.

The key is to always keep mobile in mind. Regularly check your site by visiting it on your mobile phone to spot any errors or usability issues. The more proactive you are in this regard, the quicker you can identify and rectify problems on your site.

Share your experiences with mobile SEO mistakes. Have you encountered any? How did you address and resolve them?