June 26, 2017

Mobile Content Marketing: What Works Best?

Smartphones are a browsers dream, that’s a fact.
As a generation, we use our mobiles at almost every waking moment, and naturally, we get impatient when sites don’t adapt to the screen the way we wish.
However, search engine powerhouse Google have been working to change exactly that. Mobile content is being shaken up, and here’s how.

What is the Algorithm Update?

 

Released in April 2015, Google’s ‘Mobilegeddon’ algorithm update looked to make the most of mobile content marketing.

Platforms that are optimised for the smartphone screen will now reach higher in the mobile rankings than their badly adapted counterparts. Sites are crawled page by page to determine their mobile effectiveness, and that’s why the changes have taken a while to become recognisable in results.
However, with that in mind, mobile content strategies have had to be adjusted to meet with the algorithm’s guidelines. Here’s how.

1. Take Users’ Reading Patterns Into Account

 

How we read our desktop screen and how we browse our smartphones are completely different. Well, in terms of what we focus on anyway.

Traditionally, our eyes have an ‘F’ shaped reading pattern when using a desktop, scanning pretty much the entire screen.
On the other hand, mobile users have a tendency to focus on the centre of the screen, only taking in the information that grabs them almost immediately.
When devising content, writers should take the users’ focus into account and understand that smartphone readers are unlikely to take in anything that shifts into the right hand of their screens.
Whereas, meta titles and descriptions should be short and sweet in order to capture the gaze of the user on mobile SERPs.

2. People Prefer Pictures Over Text

 

According to Knowledge Graph (the Google platform which analyses the way we look at content) people have a tendency to focus on images over text.

With that in mind, writers should not go ahead and include a barrage of images within their content, but instead use less. Images should only be used when necessary, otherwise the informative information will be lost amongst the pictures that are drawing the readers away.

3. Keep it Concise

 

As you’re probably already aware, a smartphone screen is significantly smaller than its desktop counterpart. Therefore, mobile content should reflect this change in size and you should keep your writing short, sweet and snappy.

4. Start Your Piece Strong

With short attention spans in mind, starting with a short but effective introduction is vital to mobile content marketing.
Long introductory paragraphs will only encourage brain complacency. If you don’t grab their attention to begin with, chances are they’ll switch off before even hitting your first H2.

Smartphone usage is only rising, and with Google looking to keep on improving its mobile search algorithm, it’s time content reflected such changes.
If you’d like to learn more about changes in digital marketing, take a look at few of our other blogs below.