With the increased popularity of mobile phones, many people now conduct searches on their mobile gadgets. With a good percentage of traffic coming from mobile devices, you cannot afford to ignore mobile SEO.
Again, with Google using a mobile-first approach, this is one of the platforms that can bring you a lot of traffic and conversions. You should do keyword research targeting mobile devices to stay on top of the mobile SEO.
What Is Mobile Keyword Research?
Mobile keyword research is the process of finding what people are searching for on their mobile devices. The goal is to find relevant terms and phrases they use to do their search. When you do keyword research for mobile devices, basically, you are stepping into the shoes of the mobile user.
Difference Between Desktop And Mobile Keyword Research
When comparing the two, one of the things you should consider is the behavior of the users of both gadgets. Most mobile users don’t like typing much. Others tend to rely more on voice searches. Therefore, mobile searches are usually more localized as compared to desktop searches.
For instance, if you get a headache while in a mall, you will likely search for chemists in the locality. Or you are visiting a new town and don’t know where to eat. You will type on your mobile device, searching for a restaurant. You may search for “Chemist Buffalo Mall” and “Restaurant New York Park”, respectively.
But when you search for restaurants while at home, the need isn’t very pressing. In this case, you may search for something like “where to buy drugs around Buffalo malls” and “where to eat in New York Park.”
So, mobile users are often close to the conversion stage of the sales funnel. They have already decided to buy the product and are just looking for where to buy it. Therefore, the search intent is the most important thing to consider when comparing desktop and mobile searches. This way, you can take advantage of intent-rich moments.
How to Do Mobile SEO Keyword Research
Here are the steps to follow in Mobile keyword research:
Determine Your Goal
You will need to have a goal to succeed in keyword research for mobile Seo. Determine what you want to achieve. How do you want it to help your marketing and overall brand strategy? This information allows you to have more controlled and planned keyword research to maximize your ecommerce SEO strategy. You will also get a reference later to determine whether your strategy works.
Determine the Keyword You are Ranking For
In Mathematics, you should start from the known to the unknown. This is also a good principle to use in mobile SEO. You need to know the keywords you are already ranking for. You can focus on those keywords to create even more content.
Use Google Search Console to find keywords that are doing well on your site. If there are keywords that you are struggling to rank on, move away from them and replace them with those that benefit your audience.
Understand the Mobile Search Query
The type of Google Search query used on mobile devices differs from that of mobile devices. The mobile search queries can be:
- Informational or local
- With or without typos
- Spoken or typed
Someone who is driving is likely to use spoken queries. Searchers often make spoken queries longer and phrase them as questions. While spoken keywords tend to be longer, mobile searches are generally shorter. Local vs. information keywords are more about the search intent. Someone doing local searches is likely to include a location.
Understand the SERPs
Checking the SERPs can help you understand the micro-moments that you should seize. Once you discover the keywords you are ranking for, you can search them on the SERPS. Check page ranking for those keywords and the kind of content they are creating. This can give you an idea of the type of content to create. Think of how you can optimize your site to rank for these keywords.
Check Shorter Keywords
People searching on mobile devices are likely to use shorter keywords due to the small buttons that make typing harder. Instead of typing a whole sentence, they may search for one or two words. For instance, instead of typing “Where can I find a restaurant,” they can type “Restaurants near me.” Therefore, consider such short keywords that you can optimize your content for.
Optimize for Non-text Searches
As we noted earlier, voice and image searches are a key part of mobile search. So, how do you optimize your content for voice search? The most important thing is to understand the search intent. Make sure that your content responds to the search intent. You should also use other measures to optimize for nontext search, such as:
- Use a schema markup
- Use a conversational tone on your site
- Use structured data
- Add your business to Google My Business
- Have a mobile-friendly site
Ensure your content is tailored to these needs to optimize for mobile searches.
Optimize for Local Seo
When optimizing for local SEO, you should pay special attention to keywords that include location. Therefore, do keyword research for phrases like “nearby” or “near me.” These two are the most used words for local SEO.
Unfortunately, you cannot optimize your site for these two terms. To rank for them, you must ensure your business is listed on Google My Business. Your business location should also be set on Google Maps.
Ensure that your site is well-optimized for your location. For instance, if you offer massage services in Salt Lake City, use keywords such as “massage parlor in Salt Lake City.” Google will suggest your business when people search for massage services in Salt Lake City.
In Conclusion
A study by Semrush indicates that only 23% of website owners optimize their content for mobile devices. This means the competition for mobile device ranking isn’t as high as on desktops, as few SEO services target it.
With the right keyword research for mobile Seo, you can know what people are searching for in your niche. This can help you understand people’s needs and create content that fills that gap. With the above tips, it’s possible to do keyword research that will help you rank higher on mobile devices.
