subject: Is Mobile Seo Here Already? [print this page] The simple answer to the question, is mobile SEO (search engine optimization) here already? is yes; whats more it is here to stay. The search engines used for mobiles use different bots and algorithms than usual web searches and the results are partly based on how well the page will work on the mobile device being used. This makes the job of an SEO company a little harder as they need to ensure that the content from a website will work well not just on a traditional computer, but also on any make of mobile phone.
Mobile Style Sheets
Although mobile and traditional searches differ considerably, usual Search Engine Optimization methods such as title tags and keywords are still important for you or your SEO service provider to consider. The next thing to do to enhance your mobile SEO is to create a separate, secondary mobile style sheet and name it handheld css. You can then format your pages for mobile phone use which can save you or your SEO service provider a lot of time and effort as there is no need to create separate pages.
Most phones will automatically use the handheld css, however the iPhone is an exception so a separate handheld sheet should be created and called iPhone css. Although the iPhone is capable of rendering traditional webpages, SEO companies have found that users still tend to prefer to use content formatted for a mobile.
Sitemap
Adding a mobile site map will greatly enhance your mobile SEO and Google has a tool that makes this relatively simple for those not employing an SEO Company. Separate sitemaps should be added for each markup language used, for example XHTML or WML and it is important to remember to link the sitemap in the robots.txt file.
Transcoding
Another concern for providers of SEO Services is that mobile search engines, even with style sheets that are made for mobile phones, may see it as unsuitable. They then automatically transcode the page to make it more suitable for mobile viewing. This means the page is hosted on a subdomain of the search engine and can affect your visitors experience in a negative way as navigation can be changed so single pages are altered into multiple ones for faster download. Search engine optimization is also affected as the website may not get credit for the page view, however the problem can be solved by including a no-transform cache-control in the header of your site.
