In Episode #151, Eric and Neil discuss how to prepare for Google’s first mobile index. Google has announced that starting January 1st, 2017, they will start indexing the mobile pages of websites. Google has also laid out the AMP framework to be used as a basis for a better mobile user experience. Listen as Neil and Eric share tips on how to optimize your mobile sites and the tools that will help you get it to its best.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Prepare for Google’s First Mobile Index
- 00:38 – Google’s focus is shifting more towards mobile
- 00:46 – Google came up with AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) framework which makes the mobile user experience a lot better
- 01:13 – AMP also has a carousel like the ones in the desktop version
- 01:23 – Make sure you use the AMP framework for your sites
- 01:37 – Get rid of anything obtrusive like pop-ups
- 02:18 – Make sure your website is optimized for speed
- 02:28 – Google Chrome allows you to test how quickly pages are loading
- 02:39 – Look at Google Chrome’s page speed and page speed tools
- 02:46 – Pingdom is one tool that you can use to do a speed test
- 02:56 – Make your site more readable
- 03:21 – Setup filters and segments in Google Analytics report for mobile views
- 03:29 – Look at the report on engagements and it will show how much time a visitor is spending on your site before they exit
- 03:46 – Keep an eye on the mobile visitors and readers, adjust and tweak your user interface, and design changes until your visitors stay longer
- 04:20 – A responsive design is key
- 04:28 – Run structured data tests for different URLs
- 04:42 – Use a Googlebot to test if your canonical links are accessible
- 05:00 – That’s it for today’s episode!
3 Key Points:
- Use the AMP framework as the basis for your mobile sites.
- Remember to make adjustments to your UI and design for the best user experience.
- Make sure your pop-ups, notices, and ads do NOT take up more than 30% of the screen—otherwise, it will be considered obtrusive.
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