Pure Oxygen Labs’ Research Reveals More Than 1 in 5 of 100 Top Retailers are Delivering Mobile Search Errors to Holiday Shoppers
Madison, WI (PRWEB) November 21, 2013 -- In the run-up to the busy holiday shopping season, Pure Oxygen Labs (http://www.pureoxygenlabs.com), a mobile consulting and technology company, released a complimentary research report that states 22% of 100 top U.S. retailers with dedicated mobile sites run the risk of having pages downgraded in Google for sending mobile searchers to defunct pages. The prevalence of faulty mobile links is even more widespread with 67% of retail sites containing multiple instances of irrelevant redirects -- links that send mobile searchers to pages Google considers unrelated, such as a site’s mobile home page.
According to the research, Amazon, Costco and Under Armour are among the retailers that are well-positioned for holiday shoppers because they display no mobile redirect errors, while GameStop, Bluefly, Bass Pro Shops, Microsoft Store and Vitamin Shoppe are among the 67% that could improve their mobile commerce returns by correcting faulty links before Black Friday.
Recent changes to Google’s algorithm indicate the search giant is taking steps to clean up the mobile search experience. With regard to mobile search rankings, Google now factors the configuration of smartphone redirects into its algorithm – a critical bridge that connects mobile searchers with the appropriate mobile-formatted content. According to Pure Oxygen Labs’ research, there is already evidence Google is downgrading pages that deliver a poor mobile experience – typically by way of faulty smartphone redirects that send mobile searchers to non-existent or irrelevant mobile pages.
“Given that mobile searchers take action within one hour, retailers have an opportunity right now to correct faulty redirects and make sure their indexed content remains discoverable for mobile shoppers searching Google this holiday season,” said Brian Klais, Founder and CEO of Pure Oxygen Labs and SEO automation pioneer. “Google is implementing sweeping changes to the mobile search experience. Removing some of these easily addressable technical barriers is a crucial step brands can take to prevent mobile ranking disruptions during this critical time of year.”
Unlike the 404 page errors on a desktop site, mobile redirect errors are more difficult to diagnose because the faulty code usually resides on the web server and only becomes active in response to a mobile user or bot request. Errors and irrelevant signals are triggered when this server code redirects the mobile searcher to a non-existent or unrelated mobile page. Identifying, prioritizing and fixing these invisible broken links is an important factor to maximize mobile commerce returns and improve the mobile search experience.
For the most pressing issue of mobile redirect errors, Pure Oxygen Labs offers a free diagnostic tool called Mobile Redirect Viewer that retailers can use before, during and after Black Friday and Cyber Monday to spot-check and expose smartphone 404 errors on critical pages. For more information about the prevalence of mobile redirect issues and recommendations about how to correct these issues, request a copy of Pure Oxygen Labs’ latest research.
About Pure Oxygen Labs
Pure Oxygen Labs is a consulting and technology company concentrated on helping marketers dominate mobile search, connect their web and social apps, and link their physical and digital assets. Using the science of search, Pure Oxygen Labs develops technology solutions that optimize mobile media, increase app downloads and usage, and drive more customer engagement. Founded in 2011 by search and mobile practitioner, Brian Klais, the company offers a full range of strategic services proven to boost the performance of mobile, search and social channels by as much as 400%.
About Brian Klais
Brian Klais is a pioneer in Retail SEO Automation. Prior to Pure Oxygen Labs, he was COO and EVP of Search at SEO technology innovator, Netconcepts. Under Brian’s leadership, Netconcepts became a domestic leader in SaaS SEO and defined what Forrester now recognizes as “Enterprise SEO Automation.” Brian led Netconcepts led to a successful merger with Covario in 2010 where he launched the first mobile search optimization SaaS platform. Follow Brian: @brianklais.
Traci Hailpern, Pure Oxygen Labs, http://www.pureoxygenlabs.com, +1 888-506-7265, [email protected]
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