With the numbers of mobile users’ sky rocketing out of the atmosphere, it’s no surprise to anyone that mobile searches have surpassed desktop and at this point we do not think there is any turning back. With today’s world needing information instantaneously, a desktop just does not do and a laptop is a bit annoying to lug around with you. This is exactly where mobile devices and even tablets come into play. These devices allow the consumer to get the information they want, at the moment and it allows brands’ opportunities to be ‘near’ their mobile users. Per a recent Pew Research report, 46% of respondents said they could not live without their smartphones.
Micro-Moments
Google has coined a new term: ‘micro-moments’. Micro-moments are essentially a question or questions that a consumer has in an instant and wants to answer within that same instance. These moments are broken down into 3 stages: Immediate Action, Demand for relevance, Loyal to needs. Let’s define each of these per Google.
Immediate action – Smartphones allow us to act on any impulse at any time. We take immediate action whenever we want to learn, find, do or buy something.
Demand for relevance – When we act on our needs in-the-moment, our expectations are high and our patience is low. This makes the quality, relevance, and usefulness of marketing more important than ever.
Loyal to needs – Our preferences and purchases are shaped in these micro-moments. Ultimately, the brands that do the best job of addressing our needs in each moment will win.
As you can see these micro-moments are a make or break chance for your company to gain a loyal customer who will in return become a promoter of your company, so long as you continue to treat them with quality, relevant and useful content.
What you can do.
Identify a set of key moments in a buyer’s journey that you want to win or can’t afford to lose. Examine these moments of your buyer’s journey when they want to find inspiration, learn about your product, make a quick purchase or anything in between. For each of these moments put yourself in your buyer’s shoes. Ask yourself, “What would make this faster and easier? What content and features would be the most helpful?” Ensure your buyer’s journey is optimized across the board and that there are no hiccups along the way. You can never afford to under-serve your buyers, while every moment may not yet be directly measurable, you cannot allow anything to fall through the cracks.
What Google is doing?
Back in April, the 21st to be exact Google released an algorithm update that impacted mobile search results worldwide for mobile searchers. This update improved rankings for sites that provided a mobile-friendly experience to searchers on mobile devices, and, by association, demoted sites that did not. Well, Google is at it again and they are not joking around this time. Googler Gary Illyes announce at Pubcon that Google will be switching from a desktop index to a mobile index. This is a huge change. Google has always used a desktop version of a page for ranking, even when serving results to users on a mobile device. Big note, this mobile first index is not currently live. This is currently a pre-announcement/pre-warning to all site owners to get prepared for the upcoming changes.
Why Google why?
It’s simple with all research pointing towards a mobile first world it only makes sense to make this change. Now this is not something Google is coming out of left field about, Gary Illyes hinted at having been in testing for a little over a year now. Since mobile searches continue to sky rocket – this move is not a surprise.
How much time do I have, Doc?
Unfortunately, Gary Illyes did say that he will not give firm dates for this because dates can change. He did say though that Google will be announcing it with a blog post, which will include details about when the mobile first index is to take effect. It is also worth mentioning that Google has given site owners plenty of notice about these changes, such as when they made the plan to add a mobile friendly ranking boost. Now is the time to take your buyer’s journey and mobile experience seriously. With the current trends and Google moving forward with a mobile-first index it is not the time to sit idly by, it is the time to schedule your free consultation and see how we can help your business and your buyer’s journey improve.