Will 2012 Become the Year of Mobile SEO?

The mobile Web has been gaining HUGE momentum in the past few years. Different statistics pertaining to the mobile Internet paint a vivid picture of the latter growing bigger each day:

• 76 percent of the world population (5.3 billion people) use mobile devices, of which over 1 billion are smartphones.
• The average iPhone user only spends 45% of his on-device time making voice calls
• Facebook pages drive 80% of newsletter sign-up’s through mobiles
• The number of mobile searches has grown 400% in the last year
• For many products, 1 in 7 searches comes from a mobile device
• 1/3 of flowers sold on Mother’s Day were through mobiles
• The mobile Web is expected to grow bigger than the desktop Internet by the end of 2014, etc.

This makes one wonder, “Oh my, isn’t it time I optimize my site for mobile users?” But thing is, while some Internet marketers are very excited about the Web going mobile and all that, a big portion of SEO’s are still rather skeptical about mobile taking over the “normal” search, which is well-illustrated by the fact that only 21% of online businesses have already optimized their sites for mobile users.

I’m not trying to say that “hey, there is no need to optimize your site for mobile”. Actually, that will definitely NOT hurt. However, a little bit of critical approach towards the mobile Internet won’t hurt either. So, let’s take a closer look at what the mobile World Wide Web is like.

People use different gadgets for different purposes

According to Google, people do different things on mobile devices than they do on their desktops. Although it is quite self-evident, what does it mean for SEO’s? Can you expect to find your target audiences among the mobile crowd? Are the majority of your users going mobile in the nearest future? Let us see what mobile users mostly use their devices for:

-1 out of 3 mobile searches is somehow related to local search

This means, if you have a local business, it’s time to give the mobile version of your site some serious thought. Also, get listed on Google Places (here are some tips on how to do it) and get your site indexed by corresponding vertical search engines, such as OpenTable.com or similar.

-36% of mobile Web surfers use their mobile devices to check out the news

So, if you are a news website (say, a blog that covers celebrity news), you stand a good chance with mobile users.

-49% of mobile users use their phones for social networking

This information would probably be of interest to those who invest heavily in social media marketing and expect users to “land” on their sites via particular social networking sites (for example, Facebook).

-79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, to finding more product info, to locating a retailer.

Thus, if such users cannot find your site using the mobile search engine, or your site provides a poor mobile user experience, you are running the risk of losing quite a big portion of your potential customers

Conversion rates on the mobile Web are way higher

The good news is that those browsing from mobile devices convert times better than your average desktop user. For instance:

• 28% of people who see a mobile ad take action
• 33% of mobile users who access sites via their smartphones make purchases on them
• 59% of users visit an online store after looking it up online.

Pretty cool, huh? So, consider this when weighing the pros and cons of optimizing for mobile users.

Mobile apps perform better than mobile sites

A normal website would NOT, in most instances, look that good on a mobile device. A way out would be to either (1) serve a special mobile style sheet to mobile users, (2) create a special mobile version (usually a subdomain) of your site or (3) design a special app that mobile users can employ.

As for mobile style sheets, these are normally stripped of all the bulky content and the content that serves for decorative purposes only (for example, eye-pleasing images).

The mobile version of a site, in its turn, would normally be more compact and more easily navigable than a company’s “regular” website.

As far as mobile applications are concerned, www.opentable.com/mobile, for example, offers an entire range of mobile apps that can be installed on all sorts of mobile devices. And, in case your device is not supported, they have a neat mobile version of their site, too – http://m.opentable.com.

Besides, mobile apps tend to perform much better in terms of usability than the other 2 options (CSS sheets and mobile subdomains). According to Jakob Nielsen:

• Full (non-mobile) sites have a 58% success rate (perform well only on iPads and laptops)
• Mobile sites have a 64% success rate and
• Mobile apps have a 76% success rate.

The future of mobile SEO

Many experts believe that, with mobile browsers, sites and apps evolving, the bar for the mobile user experience is being constantly raised. Besides, mobile users have gotten savvier and already know what to expect from their browsing experiences.

So, in the future, we are likely to see more mobile optimization wonders, in both site optimization (making a site render faster on different mobile devices) and user experience enhancement.

Has your business gone mobile yet? Perhaps it’s time to think about it. Not long ago, we did a post on how to optimize websites for mobile users that you can use as a practical guide to mobile pages creation. Just see if that would be a priority in your niche and consider which one of the mobile SEO options (a CSS, a mobile site or a mobile app) to choose.

INTERNET MARKETING UPDATES

LiveJournal’s GM Talks About the Future of Blogging

While Tumblr, Pinterest and Facebook generate buzz, LiveJournal has been quietly steaming along for 13 years. The service is the ultimate combination of blog and social media, connecting folks with like interests with easy friending tools and communities.

And though it may seem like blogging is on the way out, LiveJournal is looking to pump up the volume with the concept of super communities.

LiveJournal General Manager Anjelika Petrochenko talked with me about the future of the service and how it could become the next big thing for any one marketing content.

CB: Can you talk a little about blogging’s place in social media. It seemed like it was headed out but now is experiencing a resurgence.

AP: Blogging is and always has been a popular part of LiveJournal. While most of the newer social networks allow people to simply declare what they have done, what they are doing or what they know, LiveJournal’s provides a platform that allows for real thought and deeply involved conversation. Additionally, blogs are often the foundation of communities, which are built around common shared interests. Currently, LiveJournal U.S. has almost 50,000 active communities.

CB: What’s the advantage of creating a blog at LiveJournal over any other site or a standalone blog?

AP: LiveJournal is a social network. Although LiveJournal gives its users a blogging platform, it also offers a place for its members to  friend others, share ideas, create content, express themselves, chat with those with similar interests, promote beliefs, post ideas, comment on issues, etc. Consequently, the advantage of joining LiveJournal is that you are actually joining an entire social network made up of 30 million members, which encourages users to create their own community around specific interests.

One important differentiators to mention is that LiveJournal does not require members to reveal their identities. Anonymity is allowed and often 

encouraged. We have observed that the ability to be anonymous allows people to discuss things they might not normally discuss in real life and on sites that require users to reveal their identities. This is why we think LiveJournal communities, which are built around personal topics like politics, LGBT and similar subjects are thriving. There is no such thing as TMI on LiveJournal.

CB: Mobile is a big trend. What is LiveJournal doing to capture this audience?

AP: Mobile is a big area of growth for LiveJournal in the 2012. LiveJournal already has a companion app for iPhone and Android phones that allows posting and other features, but we know there’s so much more we can and should do – and we are doing it, with more to come in 2012.

CB: I recently wrote a piece on the LiveJournal stores that are popular in Asia. Why do you suppose that took off there and not here. Is that an option here in the US, sort of Etsy for LiveJournal?

AP: It is a testament to LiveJournal’s versatility that it can accommodate almost any trend. “Blogshops” are a growing popular trend in Asia, especially in Singapore, where LiveJournal organically took hold for this trend. It is often a matter of filling a natural niche – in the U.S. there are many e-commerce options, including sites like eBay and Etsy. We should be clear that the blogshops on LiveJournal Singapore are selling their wares, but LiveJournal is not an e-commerce platform. Blogshops are, of course, more than welcome to start in the U.S., but here there are other options.

CB: What types of communities fit best at LiveJournal?

AP: On LiveJournal, there is a community for almost any subject. However, we have found that the “best fits” are communities that are lively, active and interesting. The most popular communities on LiveJournal tend to be more focused on areas of entertainment and personal advice such as parenting, but a quick search of communities related to your own interests reveals many choices.

CB: I’m a TV fan and use LiveJournal a lot, but I don’t think of it as a place for media. What kinds of things are you doing to help these “super communities” become more significant.

AP: LiveJournal is a treasure trove of 13 years worth of user-generated content. Most of it is extremely compelling and insightful, and could have greater impact if it has a wider audience. Thus far, LiveJournal has done a good job of helping curate and facilitate the discovery of great communities. But, many LiveJournal communities are analogous to media sites – they are active, interesting, informational, have strong membership and want to grow. These are the sites that we have been identifying as “super communities” and we have developed a new program that allows them to be more easily discovered and to grow even more.

ONTD is the best example of what a LiveJournal super community is and can become. As LiveJournal’s largest community, ONTD (Oh No They Didn’t) is a place where members share celebrity gossip.  It is treated almost like a media site, though the “editorial staff” remains LiveJournal users who create the content posted in the community. Other communities that are being invited to be a part of the initiative are not new communities; rather, they are existing communities that LiveJournal has reached out to, offering a custom design, special features and widgets, and promotional/marketing help. Essentially, these are voices that want to be heard by more people and we are facilitating this.

Mobile Marketing is Hot, But for Facebook it’s Not

 

Facebook has a dirty little secret. They don’t know how to make money with their mobile app. 

That may sound like no big deal, or even a little humorous, but its actually pretty scary. Facebook has one of the biggest user pools around and if they can’t find a way to make their smartphone users convert, then what hope is there for the rest of us?

The trouble stems from the fact that Facebook’s mobile app is a highly stripped down version of the real site. It’s about giving users a quick overview of what’s happening and a way to post an update while on the go. It’s not designed to handle the interconnected series of links, likes and lookarounds that keep people on the web version for 18 to 38 minutes per visit.

Facebook ads? They’re no space for them on mobile dashboard.

According to the Facebook IPO filing (via the New York Times)

[Facebook] expected its mobile users to “exceed the growth rate of our overall monthly active users for the foreseeable future.” And if executives are not able to chart a path to profitability on mobile platforms, the filing indicated, the company’s “revenue and financial results may be negatively affected.”

Poor Facebook! I feel bad for them.

Okay, not really. Because here’s the thing about the internet and social media in particular – like the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, they always find a way.

In this case, it could mean inserting sponsored posts into mobile newsfeeds. Maybe giving Facebook credits for those who visit a special mobile ad page? Or, heaven forbid, a banner ad that covers part of the screen.

I’m sure Facebook has thought of all of these options and they probably worry that people will object. But people object to every change Facebook makes. They objected to photo tagging and timelines and newsfeed filtering. They object and they object and they still show up to the party, because if they don’t, then they’re missing out.

As the Times points out, we’ve had 15 years to get used to banner ads on our computers. Imagine where we’ll be with mobile 15 years from now. It’s likely we’ll have gotten used to small ads on the small screen. Or maybe by then mobile phones will pick up on your pulse and respiration then deliver a suitable ad that supersedes whatever you’re doing.

“You appear to be hungry? May I suggest you stop playing Angry Birds and visit Wacko’s Tacos for lunch? They have a Buy 1 Get 1 deal today only!”

The only reason mobile isn’t paying off yet is because we’re still stuck in the banner / search web advertising mode. Mobile is a different animal and soon we’ll have new advertising options that suit.

Then Facebook will make more money and hopefully, the rest of us will, too.

Online Privacy Tips [Infographic]

Online security and privacy will always be an issue. There is nothing that will put an end to the need for paying attention to the state of your personal or corporate online security. Nothing.

It’s a cat and mouse game that is simply between the good guys and the bad guys. There are bad guys online just like there are in every walk of life. I have seen anyone or any organization who has been able to eradicate bad guys anywhere so the expectation that it is “under control” in the Wild West world of the Internet is dangerous.

While we may roll our eyes at yet more tips regarding online privacy, it’s that very attitude that will ultimately ensure more victims. So if you don’t pay attention and you get hit don’t cry about it. You know better.

The infographic below from The Frugal Dad. Enjoy.

The SEO’s Guide to Google Analytics 5: Getting Used to New Features Part I

This is part one of three in a geeky Google Analytics version 5 series to help you get accustomed to the new Google Analytics and use the new neat reporting features to impress your clients and bosses.  In the next article, I will share my top 6 new features in Google Analytics version 5.  And in the final part of this series, we will get all super geek with your analytics by creating fancy SEO dashboards.  In this article, I’ll show you a few places you can look along to get used to the new layout and reporting features.

 

New Navigation (Top and Left):

The new analytics makes use of top and left navigation to help you get what you need quickly.

First and foremost, you’ll notice a new orange navigation bar with 3 menu items titled “home,” “standard reporting,” and “custom reporting.”  When you click on each tab you will get a new left-hand navigation menu.

Home

The home tab is going to provide you with links to access: real-time reports, intelligence events, and your dashboard(s) with all your pretty widgets.  Intelligence events were previously a beta feature of the older version of analytics.  This part of analytics gives you important breakthrough deltas in your metrics over time.

Standard Reporting

Most of the data and reports you were used to before can be found by clicking the “standard reporting” tab.  Here you will find things have been reorganized.  The nice thing about the current version of Google analytics is that if the restructured categories are giving you hassle, and you can’t find an old report, you can start typing in the search box above the left navigation and find your report that way.

 

Custom Reporting
Just like before, you can create your custom reports via the third top navigation option called “Custom Reporting.”  Your custom reports are now accessible here as opposed to on the middle left navigation in the old analytics.
If you recall, in the older analytics you could schedule your custom reports to be emailed to your client or whomever you report to.  This feature has been temporarily disabled, and no other reports you have set up to be emailed will go out after the end of January 2012.   But I read on the Google Analytics blog, that they will be bringing this feature back within the next several weeks, as this is a top priority.
On a brighter note, you can add custom reports as a widget on any of your dashboards.  Additionally as cool is that the widgets on your dashboard will link back to your full report if you click on the icon to the left of the gear icon (marked by the blue arrow).

So Where Have Sections/Reports Moved?

Some sections and reports have been renamed, so the easy “start typing your report name in the search and have it auto-populate,” will not work!  For instance, the old visitors section is now called the “Audience” section (blue). And the old “map overlay” report is now called the “location” report.  Similarly, the “browser capabilities” report is now found under “technology” (though you can find this one when you start typing in the search feature).  So certain things are just organized under new sub-headings.
If you have a question on where your old report is, ask by commenting below, and I’ll find it for you.

 

AdWords Metrics

AdWords reports are now included in the new Google Analytics’ “Advertising” area on the left hand navigation under “standard reports.”  There are a few additional reports in here as well that were not previously available for your AdWords campaigns.  They are worth going through.

Ecommerce

You’ll see that your ecommerce and goals are combined in one section called “conversions.”  Additionally, the new “multi-channel funnels” feature in Google Analytics is here as well.

What about Keyword Reports?

 

There are several ways to get keyword reports in Google Analytics version 5. For one, you’ll need to drill down a bit more than you might be used to (though you can take the shortcut and get to whichever report you need by typing your report in the search bar at the top left).

The keyword report you were accustomed to in the older version of analytics can now be found under Traffic Sources -> Sources -> Search -> Organic and is called the Organic Search Traffic report.

You can also access other keyword reports that incorporate Google Webmaster Tools keyword data in them!  Now you don’t need to go to two places as long as you integrate your Webmaster tools account.  You should see data from around mid October 2011 onwards; this is around the time this feature was implemented.

Once you’ve integrated your Webmaster Account, you’ll find this keyword report under Traffic Sources -> Search Engine Optimization -> Queries. Here, you’ll see information on impressions, clicks, average position, and Click Through Rate.   Geekier reporting tips to come in part 3 of this series.

SEO Geek Tip

 

 

To see which of your keywords are ranking pages 1 and 2 and which content ranks (your low hanging fruit) add a filter to this report to include all results with an “Average Position” of less than 21.  First click on “advanced” and then add your filter.  Click the “apply” button, and then you will see your top 20 ranking keywords/content during any given month.
Previous to 1/25/12, you would get an average position, but Google Analytics just announced that this will now reflect the first position your content ranks at any given time (so the filter above might be modified to position vs. average position).

Note – Something neat is you can now see a summary of organic visitors by geographical location as well as the impressions, clicks, and click through rate information from Google Webmaster Tools.

How to Edit Your Google Analytics Settings:

Instead of having your “analytics settings” at the top left, you now will see a graphic that looks like a bolt, which is where you can customize your Google Analytics account settings.