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As Mobile Search Surpasses Desktop, You Should Be Adapting

By Nate Riggs on June 15, 2015 |

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mobile search surpasses desktopYou've been following the news lately.

You've absorbed the news that mobile searches have surpassed desktop in some parts of the world.

Did it really surprise you? Probably not.

I mean, how much of your free time do you spend scrolling through feeds, stories, memes, posts, micro-miracles and melodramas on a mobile device versus a laptop? You're a savvy media consumer, and you totally saw that one coming, you genius, you.

So how should this change your business strategy? Well, if you update your marketing plan as much as you do your Facebook profile pic, maybe not a whole lot. But I have a feeling even though mobile search is now seamlessly integrated into your daily life, you've left at least a handful of advantageous connection opportunities on the table.

Our phones are pocketed (or geekily holstered) and ready to draw at the slightest flicker of something worth investigating. Take advantage of them.

Recap: Mobile Searches Outnumber Desktop for the First Time

mobile search surpasses desktopHubSpot recently penned, er, typed, a fantastic recap of Jerry Dischler's announcement on behalf of Google: Mobile Search Queries Start to Surpass Desktop: Here's What You Can Do About It.

Per their expert tips, here's a high-level checklist to determine if you should take a further gander into optimizing your website for mobile:

  1. Ensure your website is "responsive" - in layman's terms, that means the content showing up on desktop screens automatically adapts to fit to other screen sizes, like a phone or tablet. It may begin with only a simple menu for ease of use.
  2. Choose to set a mobile viewport. I'm not a proponent of this option if you can swing #1. This minimizes your original website to fit a phone screen without further paring down the contents. But, have you ever gone to a site on your iPhone only to zoom-in, "wait I didn't mean to click that", go back, loading, zoom in, scroll....scroll....scroll...where's the link again? zoom out, zoom in ....? Yeah. That can all be avoided with a responsive site.
  3. Following "mobile first" design and optimization principles on image alt text, video types, text, button sizes, and so on.

Read the whole article to verify that you've got all your digital ducks in a row.

Meeting Each Customer in the Moment

What comes next? You're find-able. You're out there. But in today's digital age, with a little help from a Google algorithm favoring mobile-friendly sites, you are a single beautiful bloom in a vast meadow. What will differentiate your brand from the bunch?

Did you read our post on micro-moments? As the recent surge in mobile search demonstrates, a customer can whip out a mobile device anywhere, anytime, and go on the hunt for a company just like you. Will you be top of mind when the mood strikes?

Build relationships. Have you ever noticed how if you search for something once and click on it, it usually reappears at the top of your future searches on the same subject? Even if a search impetus ends up being interrupted or seems to be ill-timed, Google won't forget the connection. As mobile search surpasses desktop, be the best source for something your audience will appreciate on the go.

What about content? Nate explored the importance of tailoring sales funnels on your site to visitors' consideration stage.

Because it turns out, marketing is a whole lot like networking in person. Should you immediately dump your life story on everyone you meet? Exactly.

Let's keep it high level initially, shall we? Name, job, favorite color perhaps...

The point is, content should depend on the setting and purpose of the interaction. Some businesspersons woo potential clients for months before the time is ripe. Do the same with your brand. Be Facebook friends. Tell them funny stories. Relate to them, and give them some free stuff every now and then.

Craft your mobile presence to surprise users with simplicity, but scale content to their needs on that device. For some brands, this means paring back on pages, videos, and large images.

Bump into your audience off-screen. But I thought this was a post about mobile search? Right. So put something intriguing and search-able out in the real world. Something that someone might want to snap a photo of, and share on Instagram. Something promising insider information or a reward. Again, if your brand is searched for once, it is more likely to show up again in future results. #dontforgethashtags

After building a great mobile foundation - investing in a quality responsive site and content - the next step is to get people talking through external stimuli. Speaking of that... did you hear about the crazy campaign launched at SXSW this year?

Have any more ways you've helped customers find your signal through other brands' noise? Share them with us on Twitter @NRMediaGroup or below, in the comments.

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Nate Riggs

Written by Nate Riggs

Nate Riggs is the Founder and CEO of NR Media Group, a Certified HubSpot Partner and inbound consulting firm. He leads a team of experienced strategists, content marketers, creatives and technologists that help organizations deploy and use HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and service software to operate more efficiently and accelerate growth. Nate regularly presents keynotes and workshops at top industry conferences like INBOUND, Content Marketing World and Oracle’s Modern CX. In 2017, Nate was recognized by HubSpot for his contributions to the development of the HubSpot Education Partner Program. Nate regularly presents keynotes and workshops at top industry conferences like INBOUND, Content Marketing World and Oracle’s Modern CX. In 2017, Nate was recognized by HubSpot for his contributions to the development of the HubSpot Education Partner Program.
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