Mobile |

August 6, 2016

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Five Essential Mobile Optimization Tips for Modern Business Bloggers

Mobile optimization is much more than a buzzword for the modern blogger.

Considering the rapid rise of mobile devices and Google’s insistence on appealing to their users, blogs that fail to meet the needs of visitors on-the-go will inevitably become lost in the shuffle. Due to the massive amount of transactions being done online today, you simply can’t afford not to optimize your blog for mobile users.

Thankfully, mobile optimization doesn’t have to be rocket science. If you already follow modern best practices for building a blog, chance are you’ve already poised yourself for success in the mobile blogosphere. However, keep the following tips in mind to ensure that your blog is optimized for smartphones and tablets alike.

Avoid Flash

There’s a good chance that your site isn’t making the mistake of relying on Flash, especially given the popularity of platforms such as WordPress. However, nearly 10% of sites still rely on Flash in an attempt to “wow” visitors. Times have changed: with the emergence of responsive web design for modern bloggers, don’t feel like you’re missing out by foregoing Flash in the future.

Avoid Pop-Ups (If Possible)

Likewise, pesky pop-up ads can be a pain for mobile visitors. While pop-ups are still relatively commonplace on desktops and easy to deal with through platforms such as AdBlock, they can be particularly annoying for those on a smartphone or tablet. The prevalence of pop-ups on your site could lead to a higher bounce-rate, which is bad for your blog and a negative search signal in the eyes of Google.

Be Aware of You Buttons

The emergence of touch-screens has made web designers especially aware of user experience. For this reason, make sure that the navigation buttons of your site are loud and clear. Between size and color, ensure that your visitors can easily navigate your site; meanwhile, your buttons shouldn’t clash with your site’s color scheme.

Rely on Responsive Design for Scrolling

Responsive design is taking over and revolutionizing the way that readers interact with their favorite blogs. Consider choosing a theme for your blog that enables infinite scrolling as not to interrupt your readers as they browse your site. Such designs give your blog a natural flow, creating a more intuitive user experience for visitors on-the-go.

Clear Calls-to-Action

Crating effective calls-to-actions is the cornerstone of just about any effective content strategy; however, it’s incredibly important to ensure that your CTAs are crystal clear for mobile users. Consider taking advantage of headings and subheadings as a means to grab these users’ attention. Include CTAs as their own separate paragraphs so that visitors are naturally drawn to them. On the same note, make sure that you include them often enough so that they can be seen by serial scrollers.

Considering that mobile users have surpassed desktop users, the debate over whether or not to optimize for mobile is no longer a debate at all. By following best practices when it comes to mobile visitors, you’ll ensure that your site looks clean on-the-go and you’re not neglecting any potential business in the process.

 

Apps, Mobile |

July 13, 2016

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5 Tips for Developing a Mobile App that Users will Love

 

The world is going mobile

According to Global Web Index, 80% of internet users own a smartphone and all of them have at least 3 apps downloaded on their smart phones.

Mobile technology is not a nice-to have option for businesses anymore, it’s mandatory.

Today’s business is moving beyond mobile-friendly versions and you need something more engaging and appealing to add to your mobile application development.

Here are 5 tips to create a great mobile app that your users will fall in love with.

1. Strategy

It’s important to mention the idea of an app is not a strategy. Start by defining what you’re hoping to achieve with this mobile app (to increase revenue, improve customer experience or make employees more productive).

2. Make your costumer come back

An app that users will love is an app that will keep them engaged, even after the user has downloaded it.

Most of the apps out there are installed, looked at once and then deleted. You need to give your customer a reason to come back.

In order to keep your users engaged, you can use push notification messaging within your app to do just that.

3. Interface and User experience

The first thing that users will see is the interface of the app. Make it user-friendly!

From the screen resolution to colors, themes and buttons, these functions play a key role in how users engage the app. Nobody wants an app that’s difficult to navigate. Keep it user friendly and easy to use.

4. Testing is key

Always test your app before you release it!

Testing your app is priority! In this process, you can discover bugs and repair it before the app is released to the world.

App testing will save you time, money and effort short-term and long-term. Remember, apps are a great way to build your brand, but you don’t want an app released with issues. Always test your app.

5. The app must solve a problem

There’s literally hundreds of thousands of apps on the market, a majority of them are never used. If you want to see success with your app, it has to be useful, helpful or informative. The success of your app will depend on how users “value” it.

The key to success is to have an app that delivers useful benefits to the end user. Users also appreciate an app that’s updated regularly with new features or functionality.

Mobile apps are getting better, faster and time spent on mobile technology continues to grow. If you can follow these 5 tips, your app is going to have a great chance to be successful.

 

 

Mobile, Search Engine Optimization |

March 10, 2016

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Impact of Mobile Search Popularity On SEO

Mobile Trends

Gone are the days when internet used to be the darling of desktop users. Mobile devices now rival the internet usage and hence, it is only natural that search engines have updated their algorithms for Search Engine Result Page (SERP) listings. However, for this article we will be going forward with how the algorithms have been changed by Google and what it means for the users.

Mobile Searches

Just to put things in perspective, Google has revealed that it is receiving more search queries from mobile devices than from desktop/fixed device users. And this does make more sense. Although cell phones and tablets aren’t decades old, nevertheless, they have become an essential part of our lives.

Can you really imagine not using your cell phone just for one day? Couple this with a deep rooted thirst for information and you will get our point. In many cases we, have equated information with knowledge. No one wants to be bested out of a bargain, and we all want to get best value for money on our purchases. So, it is only natural that whenever we are in doubt, we reach out to the vast pool of information available to us via internet. And the most convenient way to do this is via your cell phone.

Why does this matter?

Whether you have just started a website to promote your product or are already an established business, it is important to track the traffic that is coming to your website. Google Analytics is the most common tool used for this, while other paid ones can be found at affordable prices via Groupon. If you filter your traffic according to mobile and desktop, you will find the number of users who reach your content via cell phones and tablets. Depending on the results, it can be really important for you to cater to the needs of these small screen users.

How does it affect your SERP ranking?  

Google’s Mobilegeddon update, launched in April 2015, has introduced some changes to its mobile searching algorithms that may affect your site’s SERP Ranking for a number of reasons. The main effect of this update is that Google now checks your site for mobile-friendliness before displaying it in any of the top pages. This will affect any business to varying degrees, depending on the level of traffic coming from mobile users and the current level of mobile optimization already present in site.

Let us suppose that 40% of your traffic comes from mobile devices. This means that 40 out of 100 potential customers are reaching you through cell phone. If your site was in the front of SERP prior to this update, but is now featuring much lower; then you have lost most of those 40%.

Factors that affect SERP ranking post Mobilegeddon

Now that we have established that mobile SERP rankings matter, let us move towards the points that need your focus if you have been affected. Researches have pointed to two main areas for improving SERP mobile rankings: User Experience and Technical Elements.

User Experience

Generally speaking, it means how convenient it is for a user to access the content. Google algorithm now assesses fonts, links, images, length, and even proof terms to rank your site on its pages. This means that your site should have optimal arrangement of images and content for smaller screens; and that links should be easy to click. The average length of your content for mobile is shorter than that for desktops.

Technical Elements

These include factors such as speed at which your website opens and whether it is made in HTML5 or Flash. The results indicate that HTML5 may be the better platform for your site on mobile phones.

These were just some of the points that need to be kept in mind. We hope that we have introduced you to the basics, although the material covered here is just the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, if you have not already optimized your website for Mobile SERP ranking, then it is high time you start thinking about it. Google has a history of taking things along quickly and drastically. Although, this has not been as drastic as Google Panda update, still it has had enough impact to be taken seriously, and something which should be accounted for.