Most of the website content we read nowadays is read on our phones. Any interesting blogs or news articles we see are just a simple tap away! Google knows this too and has made it the utmost priority that the content you read is designed with your phone in mind.

To rank first on the most widely used search engine in the world, you need to make sure everything you are posting is smooth, concise, and easy to read. At the end of the day, content is king. But once you are happy with your writing, you need to think of how someone will read your words. Who are you talking to? And, more importantly, what device are they reading your content on?

We all know that mobile is dominating the industry. If you didn’t predict that was coming, you know this is now fact because Google announced their mobile first index in November 2016. With this in mind, content marketers are going to need to shift the way they think when writing. A cell phone’s screen is significantly smaller than a typical desktop computer, meaning you have less space to showcase your work.

There a few things you can do to make sure your content is organized and easy to read on mobile devices. Use our tips below to help improve your rankings in the SERPs!

 

Expandable Content

Let’s face it: your audience probably isn’t interested in every single word you write. A lot of your readers are clicking on your site with something specific in mind. For example, maybe you’re writing a blog about tips for writing mobile friendly content, and your reader already knows about your first point.

That being said, you may want to explore the idea of expandable content. For certain sections of your material, like directions, ingredients, or reviews, try to make the expandable. That way, if your reader doesn’t want to read more, they don’t need to continuously scroll past it. Think of it like an accordion.

via GIPHY

This will save a tremendous amount of space on your page, making it more appealing to your mobile reader. Be sure that your content is only hidden on the mobile version though! While content hidden for UX reasons will be given full weight in Google’s mobile-first index, if it is hidden on a desktop, you may see a decrease in traffic. According to Barry Schwartz via Search Engine Land:

“With desktop sites, Google said that content hidden in tabs, accordions, expandable boxes and other methods would not be weighted as high. But when it comes to mobile, Google’s Gary Illyes said content like this will be given full weight if done for user experience purposes. The idea is that expandable content makes sense on mobile and not so much on desktop.”

 

Heading Tags (Like This One!)

Sectioning your content is one of the most important things you can do. Heading tags help give your page some dimension and draws the reader’s eye. They also help give the reader’s eyes a break every now and then.

Think of heading tags like chapters in a book. It is a sort of congratulations to your subconscious saying, “Hey great job! You managed to get through this much, now take a breather!” They also help keep your writing organized. Your heading tags give your brain an outline to help stay on track.

In addition to adding heading tags, be sure to break up your text into small, easy to read paragraphs. Because mobile devices have a smaller screen, a short paragraph will appear much longer on your phone. Now imagine what a long paragraph would look like on it!

 

Table Of Contents

Search engines were designed to direct us to the information we need in a matter of seconds. So why not provide that same privilege on your website? A table of contents allows your visitors to jump to certain parts of your content. Use your headings as anchor text so that your table of contents is clickable, bringing the readers to the specific sections they click on.

This should be implemented at the top of the page. You could even make the table expandable so that the person viewing the page isn’t bombarded with it right away. While you may not need a table of contents every page on your website, it is a good idea for lengthy posts.

 

Experiment!

Try bolding important information and putting specific words in italics.

  • People love reading numbered lists
  • You’ll realize this the next time you are reading a blog with a title like “Top 10 Health and Wellness Blogs“
  • Bulleted lists are effective as well

Don’t be afraid to experiment with interactive content as well! Add GIFs, videos, quotes, and embed social media posts in your blog. Not only does it break up the text, but it also makes your content more engaging!

 

The Best Marketing Content Team

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