This document discusses strategies for mobile search engine optimization (SEO). It covers topics like location-based mobile SEO, differences between iPhone and Android and their respective voice assistants, integrating structured data for local businesses, using mobile apps and beacons to engage customers, and emerging technologies that will impact the future of mobile like Accelerated Mobile Pages and progressive web apps. The overall message is that mobile intent differs from desktop, so SEO practices need to focus on quick access to information, calls-to-action for brick-and-mortar businesses, and optimizing the mobile user experience.
13. “Voice search is three times more likely to be local-
based than text search”
20% of all searches have voice intent
Google I/O 2016
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
21. LOCAL BUSINESS PLACE ACTIONS
Place Actions
• In beta; submit interest : goo.gl/pF2oIy
• Knowledge Graph actions without 3rd
party app reliance
Sample Actions
• OrderAction
• ReserveAction
In addition to
baseline
LocalBusiness
markup
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
23. MOBILE INTENT IS DIFFERENT
Get quick
information
Get to the
brick & mortar
Convert on the
go
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
24. <script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"telephone": ”+1-919-555-
4895"
}
</script>
CLICK TO CALL
• No images
• Valid code
• Use the tel: to link
• Integrate with
business markup
• International dialing
format
<a href="tel:+1-919-555-
4895">+1 (919) 555-4895</a>
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
25. MOBILE CRO
Awesome image ^ by GoodUI.org
Shorter forms
Smarter keyboards
Pay integration
Bailout options
&
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
29. MOBILE SOCIAL
Skip the dev
Respond quickly
Show brand personality
Harvest social data
*Make sure to test social platform
browsers
SEO Alchemy // Location-Based Mobile SEO @bermanhale
SEO is not a precise science. Correlation != causation, but it’s a game of increasing probabilities of success where you can.
Mobile creates more complexity, but mobile isn’t going away. Mobile friendly > mobile first > mobile only?
Mobile has hit the threshold of a mature technology and is in the scaling phase.
The mobile-first index was announced in Nov 2016, but Google hasn’t set a date for the roll out
MF = your ranking will be determined by your mobile site but information will be delivered through all different devices – speed, clarity, friendliness and structured data become increasingly important.
So while it’s not quite science, use your tactics – combine, test, evaluate and create success in the way that matters most for your site.
Mobile search can originate in several different places and depending on the phone, the browser, the map or the search type the results can differ drastically.
iPhone 7 v. Galaxy 6S Edge+
Same query, same location, both using Google – the only difference is the device
Left = Safari
Right = Chrome
Left = Safari
Right = Chrome
Tool – gives you beautiful, scrollable results customized down the zip code.
You can compare two phones from 18 different types for side by side comparison.
Ranking has never been a trustworthy metric in SEO; mobile SEO is certainly no exception.
Personalization > nearly every mobile query is personalized to the user (especially with Android as users are virtually always logged in) - encourage users to add your contact or review you and you’ll show up high.
Search Origin > With so many places to start, all analytics will fall short and it is difficult to analyze paths. Therefore, optimize for all of them.
Tool Fails > nearly all tools fall short from proper attribution to segmenting data and more.
[Go light on GA] Segment the data where possible – mobile users generally don’t interact with your website the way that desktop users do.
GSC allows you to segment the data by device.
Keep in mind that GA and other analytics suites have difficulty attributing mobile search properly.
There are many situations where someone will interact with rich features in the SERPs/Maps that drive calls without them ever touching your site.
A lot of mobile traffic will be sourced as “direct”.
6min
Hummingbird > search goes from being keyword-based to focusing on intent & semantics. Humming bird understands the query.
RankBrain predicts the next step (the algos become smarter).
***Location-based search is the cornerstone of voice search***
Data from Google Trends > looks like voice has finally beat “puppy” and reached peak internet!
Note that Siri is now on desktop
Dive into Home/Alexa lightly, but discuss key top-level info for their listing + knowledge graph answers (voice will be pulling from a few pre-determined qualified sources)
Smart watches use voice search.
Taken from recommendations – but;
Voice is more conversational and a natural tone will help
When you anticipate queries you’re more likely to rank for exact terms – an FAQ is a great place to generate ideas/content
Structured data helps you to tell the search engine exactly what the most important sets of data represents. They can then parse your content and use it more widely.
NAP consistency is always a great place to start and Moz Local has a great tool to help with keeping your listings updated, complete and accurate.
Apple maps for some locations and queries looks sparse and useless (especially for small or mid-sized towns). Remember to submit your business directly to Apple. If you have lots of locations, you can email a spreadsheet to get them all listed at once. It’s very overlooked, but critical especially since iPhones constantly try to push you to Apple Maps.
Structured data – at a minimum use it for your business location/hours/phone
Moz has a great intro doc: https://moz.com/learn/seo/schema-structured-data
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/local-businesses >> google dev article
Google My Business Info is authoritative. Contact markup on your official website will not overwrite data provided via Google My Business.
Knowledge Cards will still pull from multiple sources, so submit changes as required.
Local Business
Microformats
H-entry adds basics for published posts (like date, author & title)
hCard is an open format for identifying people, companies and organizations (like a vCard)
Yoast recently published an awesome guide: https://yoast.com/structured-data-schema-ultimate-guide/
The link I attached should automatically detect the account that they are logged in to and redirect without issue (so that they get the right form to submit interest for their business). They should just be logged in to the right account when they express interest.
12m
Location-based search is different and will have different goals. Align your site to generate more information.
Most modern browsers will detect and automatically create click-to-call functions from recognized phone numbers. Adding the Tel: will make it link
Safari will add link styling when adding the click-to-call; Chrome for Android allows you to click-to-call but doesn’t change the styling.
To tell Safari not to automatically link the phone numbers, add this in the head: <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no">
some modern browsers also support the sms: and mms: schemas, though support is not as consistent, and some features like setting the message body don't always work.
Trusted apps can get your information up the listings faster.
There’s no need for you to own the impressions if you’re driving calls and foot traffic.
Research the best ones for your vertical – they are usually free to submit to.
(iOS deprecated/stopped supporting their deep linking)
Examples: Houzz, Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor
FindLaw, Avvo, ISeekLaw
AutoTrader, cars.com, KBB
Yelp, TripAdvisor, UrbanSpoon
Zagat, Open Table, Hotels.com
Explain deep links > app indexing (deep link boost in the serps)
Beyond apps, with spotlight your email and contacts will pull up high in the results – get people to add you as a contact or be on email circulations!
iOS bad at supporting deep links – but they do have this on spotlight!
Site updates often run on long cycles – social helps you to skip that step. You can have a fantastic and modern social engagement strategy while you’re waiting for your company to prioritize updating your old website.
User expect businesses to active on social channels. Beyond that, it builds rapport and gets you direct access to your customers.
Each platform has data to offer that can help you further your impact of engagement.
Twitter is powered by Chrome, but FB’s “browser” is actually just a webview window that provides limited browsing functionality, as a sub-process of the app that opened it. This allows information to be shared back from the browser window to the parent app. Facebook in-app browser sends a user agent different than Safari so Intl cannot be polyfilled so redirection based off of user-agent can be problematic (internationally, but also with some m. redirections).
1 FUN – BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE
Eddystone (Google, summer 2015) + iOS = 96% coverage. Predictive, hyper-local, physical web.
Adoption can be difficult so Google created Google Nearby that with “Nearby Notifications” allows webmasters to tie a site or an app and create contextual notifications & engage with customers even in the absence of an app (via advertising through an https URL (instant apps can allow them to launch the app without installing it --- good for department stores to find stuff they want) that doesn’t require the clumsy bluetooth settings). The Nearby API allows others to share data across physical beacons to help drive down cost).
Read: https://blog.beaconstac.com/2016/06/5-ways-google-nearby-is-about-to-disrupt-proximity-marketing/
http://bluesensenetworks.com/the-complete-a-z-of-beacon-marketing-use-cases-and-case-studies/ >> lots of good examples
Serious privacy concerns: http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/Facebook%20_A_business_ethics-case_bri-1006a.pdf
https://www.wired.com/2012/09/beacon-settlement-approved/ (settled $9.5M case)
Target – have an app that allows users to scan barcodes in stores and see reviews. Now it can use Nearby Notifications to push notifications to say “Scan barcodes to view customer reviews” once a user is instore and can link to the app or open it if the user has it installed.
Lord & Taylor – created Snip Snap. It was an app that when users were within 500 meters of the store they’d get a “mystery coupon” and other engagement. Rolled out in US/Canada.
20m Hi.
AMP – Erwin’s notes and that the meeting is public (add to a bonus slide)
PWAMP >> get Cindy’s thoughts on this one
In order to show in Google’s news carousels now you need to get AMP
PWAs – Getting easier, talk about ManifoldJS (MS) just announcing their PWA building
PWA - team notes @ Google (quartlery reviews, users can comment) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_PcEyuXaRckigJ4lcQNzsQPe2bXsOHdUw1zncO4_fKs/edit#heading=h.9ec8pwb80wc0
Beta until full SDK released (show example — BuzzFeed, partial functionality)
Third biggest cloud platform behind AWS & Azure
**Can show Google’s cloud properties — cloud hosting, company portal, firebase, etc. Google is all about hosting your shit for free. There’s a reason! Even G+ with the Google My Business stuff.
New technology = new exploits. Why does this matter to this crowd?
Voice hacking
Botnets
Utilities
Next 1B users ---- users with disabilities
Alchemy has lead to real scientific discoveries by using the scientific method
Not quite gold, but phosphorus light
Hennig Brand – 1660’s
Not all that glitters is gold – quality over quantity and measure, measure, measure.
