CMOs of any brand can learn a thing or two when it comes to SEO. Shutterstock
If you’re a Chief Marketing Officer at a digital business in 2017, chances are a large part of your time is already taken up by dealing with SEO. And thanks to Google’s ever-changing algorithm, what you learn today may not be true tomorrow, meaning you constantly have to stay up to date on the latest algorithm updates and SEO trends. Luckily there are a few constant lessons that remain true throughout algorithm updates and changing times that you can apply to build a future proof site.
The founders of Los Angeles based Everipedia, Inc. noticed that Wikipedia’s model for search engine dominance is ripe for disruption and innovation. They set out to redesign the online encyclopedia for the modern age. To do that, they are required to command a powerful search engine authority similar to Wikipedia’s dominant presence throughout Google’s results. What started out as a small project in a UCLA dorm room has now turned into one of the world’s largest encyclopedias with millions of users and a company valuation of $22 million.
Below, Everipedia’s founders share their most important optimization lessons for CMOs that will help bring your website to the top of Google’s search results.
Focus On Mobile Design And Usability
In 2016, mobile overtook desktop as the primary device people use to browse the web and Google has been quick to update their algorithm to make it more mobile oriented. Many industries and websites are starting to see their percentage of mobile traffic steadily climbing. But even though responsive design has been around for a while now and is well- established, a majority of websites tend to fall short on their mobile usability.
Theodor Forselius, the Head of Design describes what they have done in regards to mobile optimization: “At Everipedia we have actually focused more on our mobile functionality and usability than we have on desktop. All of our pages on mobile are built with Google’s Accelerated Mobile Page(AMP) framework which gives our pages priority in Google’s SERP over competitors.
The AMP framework also significantly improves our page speeds on slow 3G/4G connections which in turn decreases the bounce rate and signals Google that the page is user friendly.â€
The lesson for CMOs: If the desktop version of your site is better than the mobile version, your priorities are misplaced.
Article source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2017/05/09/what-this-startup-can-teach-cmos-about-seo/