Mobile optimisation is non-optional. C’mon, we’re halfway through 2019, it’s been non-optional for a while now. Essentially, if your website and presence aren’t optimised for mobile users, then you’re excluding a huge potential portion of your customer or user base.

We’ve pulled together some key points to get you started (or to optimise your existing) mobile content strategy, to ensure you’re not missing out on mobile users.

Don’t immediately cut down all your copy

Screen space is at a minimum in comparison to the desktop counterpart. So it may seem like you should immediately begin chopping down the copy to cater for this. 

But wait a moment before you do. Consider if the content you have is important and of quality, and by removing it will you be minimising the user-experience compared to desktop?

Do consider adding more value through quality copy

When creating a mobile version of a desktop page or a fresh page, create a list of the key points from the article. List out what the copy is going to tell the reader and make sure that you cut out irrelevant waffle that could detract from the main points.

You can then determine if you need to create a streamlined version for mobile or if you simply need to restructure your copy to better suit the mobile user. Focussing on quality can reduce bounce and exit rates and improve user engagement.

Don’t make them scroll for the basics

On desktop, your ‘above-the-fold’ area is much more vast than on mobile. You can often view several paragraphs before the need to scroll. Mobile screens offer much less space and therefore minimised room to make an impactful impression.

If your initial above the fold content isn’t captivating, interesting or doesn’t tell the user what you’re offering them, telling them, giving them or whatever, they’re probably going to bounce or leave.

Do front-load your mobile content

Instead, your mobile content strategy should include how you will front-load all the important stuff. This might be a bulleted list, a video, a couple of keyword optimised sentences that explain what you want to do. 

This is exceptionally crucial when optimizing your app store presence. For many apps, optimising your presence on the app or play store can make a huge difference. Many users are looking for a solution to a problem, and without a clear idea of what it is your app does, they will often move on to the next on the list.

Equally, if your article or blog contains some compelling data or information, why not tease it at the start of the article? It could be the difference between an engaged user who makes an enquiry and a disengaged user who leaves right away.

Don’t minimise visuals

It can be tempting to cut down on imagery and video so as to minimise the amount of data and time required to load a page. However, including imagery, particularly when viewing on a small screen, can help to visualise and complement the text description.

Do use plenty of images

Carefully select images to illustrate your points, further engage with the reader and offer a break from the text – instead of being simply decorative.

Be sure to include accurate alt-text so that they can be indexed correctly and available on Google images. It is also useful to accurately describe your images to support the user experience for those who are visually impaired.

Reduce load times by effectively compressing the images and be sure to only use formats that are able to be displayed on mobile, otherwise, your users could be presented with blank boxes or error messages.

Don’t lump all your thoughts together

It can be tempting to try and cram all of your key points into a small space, but realistically, the best way to get your ideas across is to break them up. By creating separate paragraphs, with clear headers and hierarchy, you can create a better user journey, allowing users to quickly scan the text to find a specific topic.

Although it might not be your favourite option, you could also consider that not all of the information needs to be crammed into one post. It may be wise to instead generate a series of posts to better manage the user experience and not bombard them with too much information in one sitting.

Do make paragraphs your best bud

Often shorter and more impactful paragraphs are the key to keeping a reader engaged. Instead of hefty chunks of copy where a reader can lose their way or forget where they were up to after that jolt on the bus, use paragraphs which are only several sentences long.

Whether you use full sentences of bullet points, make sure that each section is one thought. This will help the reader compartmentalise what they have read and mentally digest each portion more easily.

This means you can still include all of the information you would for a desktop user, but you’ve considered how a mobile user will view the page and the best way for them to consume the content.

Don’t settle on the first headlines

Headlines are hard, right? They can take longer than the actual post, blog, article or book, unless of course you have a stroke of genius and get it in one try.

Whilst your writing, keep an eye out for small snippets and phrases that you use and consider integrating these into your headline.

Do spend time creating short and impactful headlines

Attention-grabbing, sharp headlines are perfect for capturing the attention of users on mobile. Instead of simply opting for the first idea that you land on, try revisiting your copy a few times and get feedback.

From here you can develop more hard-hitting and eye-catching lines. You should also consider the climate of the internet and news and determine if there are any key news stories or trending topics that your headline can piggy-back on, whilst still remaining relevant.

Don’t make searching difficult

Developing a mobile SEO strategy for how to get your site to rank better can inspire how you generate and create content.

Alongside all of the technical elements which will enhance your opportunities to perform in the SERPs, you should consider your keyword strategy.

If your key terms are long, wordy and complex, you should think about how this might affect your capability to be found. 

Do use buzzwords and suggested queries

Conduct research into suggestions when entering a key term and similar searches, to determine if there are any acronyms that are commonly used, shortened search terms and any distinct suggested chains of words that you can integrate into your content.

Embedding buzzwords and terminology into your copy can also help your content be discovered for similar related topics and more generalised searches.

Don’t disregard voice search

If you’re unsure of where to begin with voice search, now is the time to get clued up. More and more people are using voice search each day, with a rapid uptake in voice assistants purchases to use in the home. Presuming that voice search isn’t for your brand or demographic could be damaging to your visibility and result in losing out to others who have implemented a voice search strategy.

Do get clued up on optimising for voice

Voice search is far more conversational than a typed search query. We may ask an initial question, but from there, we can use ‘referring-back’ expressions, such as ‘she’, ‘he’ or ‘it’ where the initial search referred to a specific person, company or object. 

The takeaway for those creating content is that they should consider follow-on questions from the initial voice search query. Bringing more value by determining related queries, content creators can develop pages which offer more information and will reduce the likelihood of visitors bouncing back to the SERP in search of a different result.

Also published on Medium.