Responsive design or mobile website for SEO
-
Because domains with a mobile version have better rankings in Google then domains with only a deskop version we're considering a mobile website. My web developer says that a m.domain.com is duplicated with the domain.com, and he recommends a responsive design.
What is better for SEO positions in mobiles devices. A m.domain mobile website or a responsive design. What are influential factors?
-
Thanks for the respons. Responsive design is probably the best option with the best usability users.
-
I am in total agreement with Marcus and Simon, you should be designing your site for the best possible user experience.
Your ranking will be associated with the quality of user experience provided by your website, this a job for google and not us... you should always ensure that user experience is a priority and organic rankings will follow.
-
Hey, I think Simon pretty much nailed this here. Responsive is ideal and the stated preference from Google HQ but with the caveat that you should first consider what is best for the users.
I tend to prefer simplified mobile sites (on the same URL) with some of the content pared back to responsive sites for some of the gaming blogs I read as they are just so image heavy and it provides a simpler, faster and ultimately better experience whilst I am in areas with a less than stellar mobile data connection.
So, responsive if that is suitable but always consider the end user first and tailor your approach to suit.
Hope that helps!
Marcus -
I think the best thing to consider is what is best for your users rather than a search engine. If having a mobile version improves their user experience then great.
Google have expressed a preference for responsive over mobile but again you have to think are your users best served by a mobile (and possibly scaled back version) of your site.
There have been some great blogs on Moz on the whole mobile issue which I think you should check out.
http://moz.com/blog/seo-of-responsive-web-design
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
On-page SEO opinion on this Wordpress theme
Hi everyone. As an SEO agency we've been moving more toward genesis themes, however we have a client who really wants to redesign his website using the following theme: http://themeforest.net/item/this-way-wp-full-videoimage-background-with-audio/943634 - the theme would be images with no audio on the homepage. He is a remodeling contractor and likes the design and functionality of the theme. I'd like to get others feedback and opinions on what you think about the on-page SEO of this theme? Thanks.
Web Design | | WillWatrous0 -
SEO strategy for UK / US websites
Hi, We currently have a UK-focused site on www.palmatin.com ; We're now targeting the North American market as well, but the contents of the site need to be different from UK. One option was to create another domain for the NA market but I assume it would be easier to rank with palmatin.com though. What would you suggest to do, if a company is targeting two different countries in the same language? thanks, jaan
Web Design | | JaanMSonberg0 -
Confirm responsive design is accessible to crawlers?
Trying to ensure crawlers can access all important info on a new responsive website, but it's javascript-heavy. Following Google's advice/best practices, but can't get the Fetch and Render tool to confirm it's working. Anyone dealt with this before? Also posted in Product Forums with more detail: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/webmasters/PjxtBYClupw/56id80FUQdMJ
Web Design | | BoxerPropertyHouston0 -
Javascript with Responsive Web Design
The company I work for are looking to go responsive which is high up the list on our development plans. Further on down the development plan they want to add more javascript into the website. Is this recommended as we plan to go responsive ?
Web Design | | jmurphy70 -
Website Redesign SEO Checklist
I am looking for a comprehensive Website Redesign SEO Checklist. One of my customers is changing its website design (including URL structure) and I need all kinds of suggestions for a smooth SEO operation. Thanks in advance!
Web Design | | stradiji0 -
B2C directory website adding B2B ecommerce sub-domain
Hey fellow Mozzers, Just got back from Mozcon and enjoyed getting to know a handful of you. I do in house SEO for a B2B wholesaler. We have a B2C website directory for homeowners to locate contractors to work on their home. On the site we have a products section which includes tech specs but not pricing. Our contractors have been asking us to add the ability to purchase their items online, so we are wanting to add a B2B sub-domain (store.domain.com) to our website for the contractors to purchase products online. We do not want consumers to be able to purchase the items and will have pricing behind a log in. I have a few questions that I'm hoping you might be able to answer: 1. What would be the best practice to not have duplicate content errors with products that are listed on both sites? Should we rel-canonical items shown on both domains or do something else?
Web Design | | AC_Pro
2. We are not against having the new site be crawled, but will Google be upset/ding rankings because pricing is behind a log-in? Are there certain best-practices for B2B ecommerce sites?
3. Do you know of any other sites that have done this/do you have any recommendations on how to best implement this?0 -
Changing from All-in-One SEO to Yoast SEO
I am currently using, and have always used the All-in-One SEO plugin for my website, but I have have heard time and again that the Yoast SEO plugin is superior. How do I transfer to this plugin instead? Do I need to deactivate the all in one seo plugin? What happens to all the tags that are already there for the thousands of pages, including the main page, that is functioning from the all in one SEO plugin?
Web Design | | dtlalaw0 -
Responsive Vs Mobile Sites
I know this is some cutting edge technology, but I think that this will be a very important topic in the coming months, as html5/css3 becomses more and more the standard, or at least standardized, I think the topic of this in relation to SEO will also arise much more. My question is simple, is it better to code a responsive site, or a completely mobile site for a small company with no special needs (mobile ordering, ecommerce, etc...) I obviously know the visuall differences, and, personally, I think respomsive websites look better. From an seo perspective, my big thing is for the resizing, for example, with WordPress, when you reach the tablet size you can set the sidebar to basically display:none, can that impact your website? I would really appreciate any feedback
Web Design | | ZacharyRussell0