If you’re in the SaaS industry, you provide a product, or own a business, you know that making the service accessible from any device is essential. But why is mobile-first SEO indexing a thing? What do B2B SaaS businesses get with that?
You probably know that the split between the devices when accessing online services is almost 50/50 (but mobile takes a larger part of the cake). So, people expect everything to be available on mobile, whether it’s an app or a responsive website design. The SaaS industry is not an exception.
Indeed, all your B2B SEO SaaS efforts, content marketing campaigns, and mapping the buyer journey will be more effective if you keep the mobile version in mind when optimizing.
Table of Contents
What is the Mobile-First Indexing Approach?
SEO mobile first means Google or other search engines will check on the mobile version first because more and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the internet.
So, if you want your website to rank, it’s essential to make sure it works on smaller screens too.
Why is Mobile-First Important?
When we talk about mobile-first SEO, we highlight that many times, Google indexes the website’s mobile version first and then crawls and indexes the desktop version. That means you need to provide:
- A responsive design for any display size, including smartphones and tablets
- Fast-loading page, which includes optimizing images and minimizing the response times
- Mobile-friendly content, i.e., easily readable text, visible buttons, and easy-to-click links
- User experience, like intuitive navigation, fewer pop-ups, and a smooth interface
In general, all these mobile-first indexing elements can easily be applied to SaaS products.
To optimize a SaaS website for Google’s mobile-first SEO approach, you need to know that it requires:
Responsive SaaS Platform
Any element of your product must be optimized for mobile usage. The user interface should be functional the same way it works on a desktop. Also, users must be able to access from any device, no matter if it’s an Android-based phone, iPad, or any other device of choice.
Mobile App SEO
Some SaaS companies provide a pretty elegant solution – an app available for download. Still, you will have to implement mobile SEO practices, like optimizing app titles, descriptions, and keywords for easy search.
Mobile-Optimized SaaS Content
People love using their mobile devices to search for information or control what’s happening around them. Depending on the type of SaaS product, you can make it equally functional on mobile or just add the essential functionalities.
No matter if your full service is available for mobile or just a few parts of it, you need to check if the content is easily readable, if all the multimedia elements fit well to any screen, or if all the essential functionalities work well.
Mobile Speed and Performance
The mobile loading speed enhances the overall user experience. Every SaaS product should have intuitive navigation and easy account management software.
Still, slow-loading apps or features can negatively impact your SEO efforts. That’s why you should focus on mobile SEO, besides the usual practices.
Why Mobile-First Strategy Helps Your SEO for SaaS?
According to Exploding Topics stats, over 55% of the website traffic comes from mobile. Knowing that there are more than 4 billion active internet users, that’s a pretty huge number.
But in the SaaS realms, things can be a little different.
First, it’s a software-as-a-service solution that end users access from the web mostly. Some SaaS products can work seamlessly on mobile or come with an appropriate mobile app. But not every SaaS is made for that.
Second, the solutions can be too complex to work on mobile. Still, that doesn’t mean a SaaS company can’t use mobile-first optimization.
Why?
As you know, almost all SaaS products come with a website that highlights the features, lists the pricing plans, and offers a knowledge base for potential customers. Buying the product means a unique URL with custom access to the features you paid for.
So, we can say that mobile optimization for SaaS works in a few different ways, including:
- Your SaaS website can be optimized for mobile-first SEO so everyone can browse and learn more about the unique features and offers
- The actual SaaS product is not always mobile-fitting, depending on the purpose and the real need for mobile monitoring
- Some SaaS providers offer mobile apps for a more convenient experience using the product
When it comes to mobile-first SEO indexing, it’s mostly about the SaaS website and sometimes for the actual service.
That leads us to the answer of why a mobile-first strategy helps your SEO for SaaS efforts.
This approach lets you reach out to a wider audience while satisfying Google’s mobile-first indexing preferences. Mobile-friendly websites offer a great user experience and are more likely to rank higher for specific user questions or queries.
It all results in increased relevant traffic, higher conversion rates, and improved brand reputation. You also get a competitive advantage since many SaaS companies haven’t adopted the mobile-first approach (or don’t really understand the benefits of it).
Is Mobile-First Really Necessary for Every SaaS Website?
Yes, mobile-first SEO is important for the company’s website. As a SaaS provider, your company must offer a seamless user experience and sufficient knowledge resources to actually convert the leads you generate.
Imagine this scenario.
Someone in a hurry to find a quick solution for their needs and pain points picks the phone up and enters a relevant keyword, question, or search query. Some results appear on search engine pages, and they’re checking the first ones.
What do you think? How long a potential customer will stay on your website if it loads slowly, the navigation is confusing, and the text is too big for the display? Yes, they’ll immediately move to the solution that offers a more convenient first impression.
When the user has a smooth and intuitive experience while browsing, they get more confident with the specific SaaS provider. In this hypothetical scenario, the mobile version was the breaking point to consider some solutions.
So, when optimizing your website for mobile-first SEO indexing, consider:
- Using a responsive design and clearly written content that works on every display
- Adjust the font size and buttons so you won’t distract the page visitor
- Display enough text so the user won’t have to zoom in to read it
- Before launching, test the website on a few mobile devices with different operating systems
- Create mobile-friendly landing pages, pricing pages, feature lists, and subscription or sales forms
By following these tips, you can optimize your B2B SaaS website for mobile-first SEO and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting more customers.
Mobile-First SEO Indexing For SaaS: Yes or No?
The conclusion here is pretty clear. Yes, optimize your company’s website for mobile. Make it work for every device, from largest to tiniest. Adjust the text size, images, and other multimedia content so they can fit every possible device your potential users have.
For the actual product, mobile-first optimization depends on the purpose. If the SaaS product is meant to be used on any occasion, then you need to offer a mobile-friendly design. But if it’s for desktop use only, there is no need to invest in creating a mobile-responsive interface.
