The number of mobile device users accessing content online has surpassed traditional desktop and computer users. This trend is going to continue into the foreseeable future, with computer users becoming a smaller and smaller percentage.

As a result of this shift, even Google adapted new search engine ranking criteria and ranks mobile-friendly/compatible websites higher than non-mobile friendly sites.With everyone updating their sites to make them mobile-friendly with outstanding designs, one vital area tends to get neglected: Onsite text-based content.

Creating Content

First, you need to learn how to write for mobile device users, and then use this information to optimize the content on each of your pages. It is important to toss out what you previously have been using to create content, as reading text on mobile devices is entirely different to reading it on a computer.

To illustrate, computer users will tend to use either an “F-shaped” viewing pattern or a “Golden Triangle” viewing pattern when scanning and reading text-based content online. This is not the same for mobile device users because the screens on the devices are much smaller. Instead, mobile users will scan the upper one-half to two-thirds of the screen. Anything below these areas is often not viewed.

Images

People will view images more frequently than read actual text-based content. If your messages you want to convey to site visitors are in the text content, then limit the use of images. If the image is not relevant to the content to help make your point, then get rid of the image.

Length of Content

It is important to get to the point quickly with mobile device content. It is not because mobile users have short attention spans, but due to the size of their screens. The goal should be to present your point so they do not have to scroll or swipe in the middle of a paragraph.

This is not to say you should shorten the overall length of the content. Longer content is still preferred for SEO purposes. A good rule of thumb is to make the content as long as it needs to be to express your ideas and concepts while eliminating anything that is not necessary.

Paragraph Size

The size of paragraphs needs to be limited to around two to three sentences to keep a viewer’s attention. For instance, a five sentence paragraph on a computer may not seem that long, but when converted to a mobile device, it can quickly fill the entire screen. Before the reader gets to the end, they will have lost interest in the content and moved on.

Content Headlines/Titles

Since display space on mobile devices is limited, make sure your content headlines and titles are concise and get to the point quickly. A general guideline you can use is to try to limit headlines and titles to around seven words but avoid exceeding ten.

To wrap up, content on mobile devices needs to grab a user’s attention right away and should be adapted to fit to the size of their display screen to keep them engaged. To learn more about content strategies, mobile web development, and SEO, contact Logik Digital at 1-866-307-0086 today!