There are over 60 trillion webpages indexed on Google, and over half of those searches are now being carried out from mobile devices. As Google are well aware of this trend towards mobile searching, and typically up to date, they have rolled out a mobile first version of their search index. Traditionally, indexes have always prioritised the desktop versions of a page. The mobile first version, however, will use the mobile version of a page as the primary page to index.
Is this the start of mobile domination?
Google have been heading towards mobile dominated searching for a while now, incorporating features such as app streaming that allow you to preview apps you haven’t even downloaded to your device, and the use of accelerated mobile pages that let you access content virtually instantaneously.
What does this mean for recruitment?
45% of job seekers say they use their mobile device specifically to search for jobs at least once a day. Bearing this in mind, if you don’t want candidates self-screening themselves because they can’t use the mobile version of your site then you should ensure that your mobile site is working optimally and viewing correctly. It’s important that the mobile version of your site has as much information as the desktop site, as this will be where candidates first end up and will affect search ranking. It would be a real shame to spend money and resources on advertising, but lose candidates when they come to view positions or enter the application process because of the poor accessibility of your site.
How will this affect your SEO campaign?
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Ensure that content is consistent across all devices – You’ll have to do this to maintain your place in the search engine results page (SERPS). If you show less content on your mobile site, you risk losing rankings on long tail keywords if these are only present on your desktop site.
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Adopt a responsive design for your website – Using a responsive design for your website will allow the site to flex and work optimally for whichever device it is accessed from.
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Finish any new mobile sites before launch – If you are currently building a mobile site, do not launch it before it is finished as this will jeopardise your ranking on the SERP. Take time to make the mobile site fully accessible to the mobile user and contain all of the content on the desktop page.
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Create an app for your business – In line with Google’s move towards mobile viewing, it would make sense that the focus may fall on apps next. Develop an app for your business to keep up with the mobile trend and allow candidates to interact with the recruitment process anytime and anywhere.
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Concentrate on structured data – Structured data makes your site more visible to Google’s crawlers. This improves the knowledge graph/data of your site, giving you the best potential higher ranking in search results.
The consequence of not optimising your mobile site
The world of mobile first will dictate how your site is ranked, so don’t be sent to the back of the queue. If your mobile site is inadequate for candidates to perform the tasks that they need to do to apply for a position, you run the risk of losing them before they even start. To continue to attract good quality, relevant candidates, update your mobile site with the necessary information to show off your business’ brand to its highest potential and feature highly on the SERP.