Web professionals have been talking about the mobile internet for many years. It is the obvious step forward especially since more people are starting to use mobile phones with browsing capabilities. But while it shows considerable promise, there are some problems that still need to be ironed out. One of this is to make content “discoverable” in small mobile devices.
Tackling the Issues with Mobile Search
In general, websites that are designed for mobile devices are scaled-down versions of the original one. Oftentimes, when searchers use their phones, they will be sent to the PC version first before being redirected to the mobile one. All these steps take a lot of time. In addition, mobile users are typically impatient with waiting especially if they’re paying a significant amount of money for their internet. Bottom line is, it is inconvenient, expensive, and wasteful.
Finding the Solution: The Meta TXT?
To tackle the problems associated with mobile search, experts came up with a suggested solution: using meta data. This concept is nothing new because it is actually as important aspect of any search engine optimisation initiative. When implemented for mobile internet though, it takes a while new importance. It doesn’t matter if your domain name has an extension name of .com, .mobi, or any other prefit.
Meta TXT is designed to capture the site’s location, domain name, keywords, mobile entry points, and description. All these helps search engine deliver valuable and more relevant content for the users.
Does the Future of Mobile SEO Lie in Meta TXT?
Right now, the success of Meta TXT isn’t assured. Just like any other new technology or innovative concept, it relies on public acceptance. Mass adaptation of the Meta TXT standard can provide a win-win situation for everyone. Every party would need to cooperate or participate to make it work. For example, developers can create a Meta TXT file and include it in their root directly.
The search engines also bear some of the responsibility if this initiative is to be successful. They will need to crawl for Meta TXT files first before proceeding to crawl the site’s web pages if none exists. Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of this technology will ultimately be the mobile internet users. If they notice an improvement in the search results, they will inevitably be encouraged to use the service more.
There is a group of development and promotions team that is effectively drawing attention to Meta TXT as a reliable means to improve mobile search results. It enjoys wide support from within the industry. If they are successful, then the future of mobile SEO will depend on how well professionals use Meta TXT.