Mobile Marketing to Life Scientists (Part 3): Mobile SEO
Life science suppliers’ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies must be adapted to encompass mobile devices. Mobile search engines employ different algorithms than those deployed by traditional web search engines intended for desktop computers.
Mobile search engines evaluate websites as if they were being rendered on a mobile device and they rank results partially based on how well the page will render on the type of device that submitted the query. This fact alone shows the importance of mobile site design but has other implications as well.
Previous research by BioInformatics LLC has shown the importance of literature citations in generating awareness and use of a supplier’s products. When entering search terms into a mobile browser for a specific area of research or technique, references to academic papers do not consistently appear in mobile search results.
Moreover, the pay-per-click ads on the right side of the Google search page that many suppliers rely upon are not viewable on a mobile device. In addition, mobile search engines rely on fewer keywords and factor in the precise location of the mobile device in determining which results to display.
While marketing departments at life science suppliers will craft the mobile marketing campaign, IT and web developers must be involved in the process to ensure that planned initiatives are technically feasible.
