Mobile SEO Optimization: How to Optimize Your Website for Smartphone Users

Mobile SEO is the process of optimizing your website, primarily to improve the appearance and search rankings of mobile devices.

Optimization of SEO Mobile is important because billions of people use their mobile devices to search the web.

Did you know that the number of mobile smartphone users worldwide has reached almost 6,7 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach more than 7,7 billion by 2028?

According to Think With Google, more than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile. So, if your website is not optimized for mobile, you are losing a lot of traffic and sales.

In this free guide you will discover some of the tips and techniques of SEO of mobile websites that work great in 2024.

Table of contents

Top 8 Mobile SEO Best Practices for 2024

Create a mobile-friendly site

Did you know that Google uses mobile-first indexing? (Source : Google Search Center )

Mobile-first indexing is enabled by default for all new websites.

Mobile-first indexing means that Google primarily uses the mobile version of the web page for crawling and indexing instead of the desktop version.

You can check if your website is indexed on mobile first by going to the “Mobile Usability Report” in Google Search Console. If your website is mobile-first indexed, your pages will appear as “Usable Pages”.

This is what it looks like;

Another easy way is to use the mobile optimization testing tool from Google. This tool allows you to test how easily a visitor can use your page on a mobile device. 

Simply enter a URL to see your page score.

Look at;

As you can see, the tool will display a message saying: “The page is mobile friendly” (if your site is mobile friendly).

So if you haven't already, create a mobile-friendly website.

The easiest and most effective way to make a WordPress site responsive is to use a mobile-friendly theme. When it comes to mobile-friendly themes, there are too many options, such as:

• GeneratePress
• Astra
• Divi
• Elementor

The WordPress themes mentioned above are extremely affordable and come with a mobile-friendly design out of the box.

Use mobile SEO plugins 

If you're not using it yet, use the self-hosted WordPress platform for your website.

WordPress is the most powerful CMS (content management system) in the world. The best part? It offers a ton of plugins SEO mobile which can help you with better optimization. Here are some handy mobile SEO plugins you can use in 2024.

WPTouch : This is an essential plugin that helps you create a website fully mobile responsive. It can transform content on the same URLs as your regular theme.

You can also control your menus, pages, devices, etc. It offers a wide range of themes that are up to 5x faster than desktop or responsive themes. There is also a free version in case you only want the basic features.

smush : It is an image optimization plugin in WordPress. Smush is an essential tool if you use a lot of images on your website. This plugin offers many useful features such as image resizing, automatic optimization, bulk deletion to optimize multiple images simultaneously, lazy loading of images, etc.

WP Mobile Menu : If you want a WordPress responsive mobile menu, use this plugin. It gives your mobile visitors easy access to your website content and works perfectly on any device, including smartphones, tablets or desktop computers.

Stop using pop-ups

Most websites use intrusive popups to increase sales or build a mailing list. 

But if you want to provide the BEST experience for smartphone users on your website, stop using popups. 

For what ? Pop-ups on a website are NOT useful to users because the content is not easily accessible. 

Using pop-ups can actually hurt your mobile search rankings, according to Google .

Google has been penalizing websites that use “intrusive popups” for years.

So if you want better mobile SEO optimization, don't hide your page content behind an ad.

If you still want to use popups for conversions, you can use the following less intrusive alternatives.

• Use the Hello bars : the Hello bars are sticky bars that appear at the top or bottom of a website. They are less intrusive than popups because they do not block users' view of the content they are trying to see.
• Use slide-ins: Slide-ins are similar to hello bars, but they appear on the side of the screen rather than the top or bottom.  
• Use built-in forms: Embedded forms can be placed anywhere on a website, such as in a blog post or product page. If you want to collect email addresses, these are better than popups.
• Use exit-intent popups: Exit-intent pop-ups are pop-ups that appear when a user is about to leave your website. Make sure you only use them on specific pages; otherwise, you will bore smartphone users.

Optimize your titles and meta descriptions

Your titles and meta descriptions are the first things mobile visitors see when they search for your website on Google.  

They are also one of the most important factors in determining whether or not someone clicks on your link.

To optimize your titles and meta descriptions, make sure they are:

• Clear and concise: people should be able to understand what your web page is about from the title alone.
• Rich in keywords: try to include your target keywords in your titles and meta descriptions, but don't overdo it.
• Convincing : use strong verbs and persuasive language to make people want to click on your link.

Here are some additional tips for optimizing your titles and meta descriptions:

• Use similar intent keywords in your title tag and meta description.
• Keep your titles under 60 characters and your meta descriptions under 160 characters.
• Use questions in your meta descriptions because they spark curiosity. 

Optimize for local mobile SEO

If you run a local business or small business, you need to optimize for mobile.

Local SEO is EXTREMELY important for mobile optimization. For what? Because more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for local businesses. 

According to Google, more than half of all searches are now performed on mobile devices.

So what’s the best way to leverage local mobile SEO to drive more traffic and sales?

Target geo-specific keywords.

You should use local keywords in your website content. You should research and use geo-specific keywords, which are location-focused keywords.

Here are some examples of geo-specific keywords:

• “Pizza delivery near me”
• “Plumber in San Francisco”
• “Hair Salon in Los Angeles”
• “Car dealership in New York”
• “Coffee in Seattle”

You can use a keyword research tool like SEMrush to find geo-specific keywords.

Take a look at an example keyword;

As you can see above, the SEMrush keyword tool suggests over 300 geo-targeted keywords, for the example keyword “New York Marketing Agency”.

Likewise, you can choose any local keyword phrase and Semrush will offer you hundreds of geo-targeted keywords.

Once you've identified geo-specific keywords, include them in your website title, meta descriptions, header tags, and body copy. 

Here are some additional tips for targeting geo-specific keywords:

• Use long-tail keywords even when targeting geo-specific keywords. Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive. This means they are more likely to rank highly in local search results.
• Use location-specific modifiers. You can use location-specific modifiers like “near me,” “in [city],” or “in [state]” to make your keywords more geo-specific.
• Analyze your competitors to see which local keywords they are already ranking for. Make sure they are relevant to your business so you can drive relevant traffic from Google.

Optimize “above the fold”

“Above the fold” is what users see in the first scroll.

Above the fold on smartphones is extremely important because it's the first thing visitors see when they land on your page.

Did you know that people who visit your website from their mobile devices are more likely to leave your website if they don't see what they're looking for above the fold?

It is therefore important to make a good impression.

Use strong visuals, such as high-quality images and compelling calls to action above the fold. 

Here are some of the best practices to optimize above the fold for smartphone users:

• Use a clear and concise title. Regardless of your website, your title should be the first thing users see. So, spend some quality time creating your homepage titles or blog post titles. Avoid using capital letters, as this can make your title difficult to read.
• Use a large font size. Smartphone screens are smaller than desktop screens, so make sure your font size is large enough to be readable. A good rule of thumb is to use a font size of at least 16px.
• Use lots of white space. White space is the empty space around your text and images. This can make your content more readable and visually appealing. 
• Don't clutter your content above the fold with too much text and images.

Find Keywords for Voice Search

Did you know that 52% of people use voice search while driving? (Social Media Today).

In addition, 65% of 25-49 year olds speak daily with their voice devices (PwC)

Voice search is the next BIG thing in mobile SEO.

So, if you want to get more traffic and better results through mobile optimization, make sure to optimize your website for voice searches.

In case you don't know, voice search is a way to use your voice to find information online. Instead of entering a search query into Google Search, you simply state your question.

There are a wide range of voice search assistants that people use, such as Siri on iPhone, Alexa, etc.

Some examples of voice search:

• “Find me the nearest coffee shop.” »
• “What is the weather forecast for tomorrow? »
• “Define the word “SEO”. »
• “Set a timer for 10 minutes. »

Le Voice Search SEO is the process of optimizing your website for voice assistants like Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, Apple Siri, etc. So how do you optimize your website for voice search? Here are some voice search best practices.

Search for long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. For example, “Semrush SEO Tool Free Trial” is a 5-word long-tail keyword, which is less competitive than a short-tail keyword like “Semrush Trial”.

Additionally, long-tail keywords are more likely to be used by people who are about to make a purchasing decision. So, if you want better conversions and targeted traffic to your website from smartphones, use long-tail keywords.

You can use Google Autosuggest, Semrush, Ubersuggest, etc. to find long-tail keyword phrases in your niche.

Target question-based keywords: Question-based keywords are keywords that begin with a question word, such as “what,” “how,” or “why.” They are often used by smartphone users who use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, etc.

Use conversational keywords: To target question-based keywords, you can use the following tips:

• Use Google's People Also Ask dialog box. When searching for a keyword in Google, scroll down to the "People also ask" box, which contains a list of related questions often asked by other users. 
• Use keyword research tools like SEMrush Keyword Magic because they help you find question-based keywords. Simply enter a seed keyword and Semrush will generate a list of related keywords, including question-based keywords.
• Think about the types of questions your target audience is likely to ask. 

Optimize your content using natural language: Last but not least: you need to optimize your voice searches with natural language. Use simple words in your content. Try to include phrases that people often use when talking to their voice assistants like Siri or Alexa.

Improve web essentials

Core Web Vitals (CWV) are speed metrics that Google uses to understand how users experience a web page. It simply measures the speed, responsiveness and visual stability of websites.

The better your website’s CWV scores, the better your search performance.

Semrush is one of the best tools that help you identify the CWV scores of your website.

You can use Semrush's site audit tool to find the web's top essential scores.

This is what it looks like;

As you can see, our site has a decent rating of 90% out of 100.

The best part? The tool also gives you suggestions when you scroll down a bit.

Semrush is an essential tool for anyone looking to improve their Core Web Vitals. 

Here are some quick tips for improving CWV scores;

• Optimize LCP element. Try reducing the size of your background images (or images generally). Consider using a WebP image format and preload it.
• Optimize CSS + JavaScript, etc. You can use CSS Minifier, which is a simple and free tool that automatically compresses CSS assets.
• Optimize third-party code by locally hosting fonts, analytics, and more. of your website
• Make sure to use the WebP format when using images. This is a modern image format that provides excellent lossless image compression.

In case you are curious, SEMrush offers the following three pricing plans.

• The Pro plan costs $119,95 per month, where you can add up to 5 projects, 500 keywords to track, and 10 results per report.
• The Guru plan costs $229,95 per month, where you can add up to 15 projects, 1 keywords to track, and 500 results per report.
• The Business plan costs $449,95 per month, where you can add up to 40 projects, 5 keywords to track, and 000 results per report.

Go and try the Semrush account and if you don't like it, you can cancel it before the trial ends. Otherwise, they also offer a 7-day money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.

A Quick Checklist for Mobile Website SEO

Here is a handy mobile SEO checklist for SEOs and website owners.

• Using a mobile-friendly theme is the easiest solution to create a website reagent. There are a ton of responsive themes available for WordPress users. We recommend GeneratePress or Astra .
• Test your website on different mobile devices. Even if your site is mobile-friendly, it's best to make sure your website looks good and works properly on all devices. You can try a free tool like BrowserStack to test how your website renders on different devices.
• Have a fast loading speed of the mobile site. Compress everything you can, including minifications, database compression, GZIP compression, etc. You can use Google's PageSpeed ​​Insights tool to identify areas where you can improve your mobile website speed. Make sure to optimize images and use compressed files to improve loading times.
• Always make your website easier to read and interact with on mobile devices. Use mobile-first indexing, prioritize mobile content, and make sure it's equivalent to desktop content.
• Optimize your content for mobile devices. Use shorter paragraphs, larger fonts and more images. Make your content easy to read and scan on mobile devices.
• Use text-to-speech, which allows smartphone users to listen to your website content instead of reading it. It is extremely useful for users who are on the go or who have difficulty reading.
• If you run a local business, target location-based keywords. Local keywords can help you reach mobile users searching for businesses or services in your area.
• Avoid using popups, JavaScript files, etc. as they can slow down your website and make it difficult to navigate on mobile devices.

Mobile SEO Strategy FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about mobile search engine optimization.

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Final Thoughts on SEO for Mobile Devices

Be sure to test your website on different mobile devices to see if it displays well on ALL. 

Page load time is one of the important parts of mobile SEO optimization, so use a CDN, enable caching, and switch to a faster host.

What do you think about SEO for mobile devices? Do you have a mobile SEO strategy? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments.