Welcome to your guide on the best practices for search engine optimization (SEO). We will be covering how you can take advantage of SEO on mobile devices like iPhones, iPads and Android devices.
Configure mobile sites so that they can be indexed accurately
In the era of constant access and mobile devices, it’s important for websites to appeal to the mobile user. It takes a targeted strategy to appeal to mobile users, especially given the many variables that differ from standard desktop sites. You want your site to be compatible across all devices, mobile or otherwise, and you want your page to rank high in Google’s search engine results, regardless of how you are being searched. In order to ensure mobile compatibility and offer a search friendly appearance on mobile devices, you have to be aware of the potential pitfalls that can limit your mobile visibility.
To ensure that you site has optimum crawlability and indexation, take a look at the following troubleshooting tips for mobile devices:
Verify that your mobile site is indexed by Google
If your website is being left out of Google search results on a mobile device even when using the site: operator, it’s possible that:
Googlebot is unable to find and recognize your site
Googlebot needs to crawl your site in order to include it in a mobile search index. It takes time for Google to recognize the site after it’s been created. To speed this process, you can submit a Mobile Sitemap to Google using Google Webmaster Tools, which will ensure its recognition in a search.
Googlebot may not be able to access your site
You may have to give specific permission for Googlebot-Mobile to access your site. If the mobile site prevents all but mobile phones from accessing it, supplying official permission to Googlebot-Mobile will ensure its crawlability. Make sure to use DNS Lookups for verification purposes or verify that the User-agent header contains the string “Googlebot-Mobile.” These steps will determine whether or not your mobile site can be found by Googlebot in a search.
Verify that Google can recognize your mobile URLs
The second step in ensuring that Googlebot-Mobile can return your site in search results is whether the URLs are viewable. If Googlebot-Mobile is unable to see the page, it will be left out of the mobile site index. To make sure every page of your site is accessible in a search, use an XHTML Mobile or Compact HTML mobile format for your URLs’ DTD (Doc Type Definition) declaration. Your compatibility will determine whether or not the page shows up in the mobile search index.
Next, learn how Guide mobile users accurately or click here to learn the best practices of the “nofollow” coding for links or here for the introduction to SEO Best Practices.
- If you are struggling with your SEO:
- Determining if you need to be on search engines
- Getting found on search engines
- Getting phone calls and emails leads from your web site
- Where to start with your web site