Google recently announced that it will be changing the way search results are ranked for mobile browsers. tl;dr to webmasters: stop phoning in your mobile site optimizations if you want to...well, reach people on their phones. Google's announcement makes three main points: first, mobile browsing comprises a significant part of web traffic; second, web performance optimization is critical to end user experience; and finally, end users demand a device-specific and complete mobile browsing experience. In this talk we took a look at the recent and projected growth in mobile browsing, reviewed findings on how perceived and real performance problems impact users' browsing behavior, and provided useful tips and tools to maximize your site's mobile search ranking.

1. Mobile Optimization Tips
Brought to you by:
@yottaa #WebPerf

2. Slow page load woes, in 1 second7% loss in
conversions
11% fewer page views
16% drop in customer satisfaction
@yottaa #WebPerf

3. ½ billion mCommerce shoppers by 2016
71% of smartphone users shop on their mobile
48% of retail shopping already on mobile
@yottaa #WebPerf

4. Apparel & Accessories sold $1Bn via mobile in Q113
@yottaa #WebPerf

5. 51% say websites hard to navigate & use
46% say product images are too small
41% are concerned about security26% feel that checkout is frustrating
41% are materially concerned about security

6. Users demand a better
mobile browsing experience
WPO is critical
for end user experience
@yottaa #WebPerf

7. WPO matters to mCommerce
users
42%
29%
29%
Will go to a competitor
Will never return
Will wait a year
85% expect
mobile to be
faster
57% experience
problems
@yottaa #WebPerf

8. The bar and stakes are high
64% of smartphone users expect pages to
load in less than 4 seconds
50% of your 1s page load time budget on
mobile is taken up by network latency
overhead
If a page takes 8+ secs to load, visitors will
spend only 1% of their time looking at ads
@yottaa #WebPerf

9. Users perceive sites to be 15% slower
than they really are
@yottaa #WebPerf

10. Do you even need a mobile site?
10% site traffic from mobile
Calculate
– % target customers
– $ to implement
Would another
solution have a
larger impact?
@yottaa #WebPerf

11. A journey of 1000
optimizations
begins with a single
test
@yottaa #WebPerf

12. Using Web Page Test
See what your users see using a filmstrip
Original site took 4.5sec to start render!

13. Using Web Page Test
…then investigate what’s slowing you down
DNS issues
&
blocking
behavior
36% of
desktop page
weight from
3rd party
scripts

14. Why are you waiting?
Monitoring is critical to understanding behavior
WPT will show you a point in time
Solutions like wbench will provide a slightly more robust benchmark
Tools like Yottaa Site Monitor enable scheduled collections for good coverage
For DNS resolution slowness, choose a vendor
You are probably NOT in the business of DNS optimization
Myriad solutions available
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer provide global IP-Anycast DNS service
JavaScript optimization tips (incl. eliminate blocking)
Frameworks can provide built-in optimizations (more in a moment)
Testing and monitoring is critical to ensure efficacy
Tools like Yottaa will provide rules to enable broad-brush and granular optimizations
@yottaa #WebPerf

15. More on JavaScript…
Vendor Configurations
Yottaa: add Exception / QuickTune
Akamai: async JS control-panel exclusions
Limelight: add "Javascript Postponing Ignore”
PageSpeed: add attribute "pagespeed_no_defe
Radware: configuration / whitelist driven
Riverbed: Explicit/wildcarded exclusion
Tip for
Vendor
Impact

16. Step One
Eliminate Errors
& Manage Traffic
@yottaa #WebPerf

17. Block AdWare, Malware, etc
Allow
Googlebot
to crawl assets
(CSS, JavaScript, and images)

18. More errors equate to lower utility
If Google can’t crawl your site, it’s ranking may be
downgraded and/or individual pages de-indexed
500
Internal Server Error.
Unspecified server problem
404
Resource not available.
Invitation to bounce
403
Forbidden.
Website’s server or
host is blocking access
@yottaa #WebPerf

19. GZIP misidentified
Media incorrectly tagged
Script impact on URLs
Unnecessary 3rd party assets
Live by it
Die by it
Just don’t trust it

20. Which solution is right for you?
Do you have the time, capital, and skill for DIY?
You already use tools that can address this issue (Google Analytics, Webmaster)
Techniques are varied, and require skill to apply correctly
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer provide traffic throttling, blocking & analytics
Remember that your website’s SEO is on the line
Blocking helpful bots/crawlers that boost your page rank have a negative effect
But once they access your site, URLs throwing errors will equate to low utility & rank
Platforms like Yottaa make it simple to identify & address errors and redirects
Traffic & Errors are not set and forget efforts
It’s critical that you remain vigilant to understand site traffic & eliminate errors
New threats AND opportunities will materialize daily – your success will drive that
Vendors like Yottaa are designed to ensure the right cost/benefit to manage traffic
@yottaa #WebPerf

21. Step Two
Develop a Mobile Plan
@yottaa #WebPerf

22. – Response Web Design
– Dynamic Content
– Mobile Redirects
@yottaa #WebPerf

23. RWD Your site works well on every device
Advantages Disadvantages
No duplicate content maintains rankings Requires additional code re-working
One URL means no mobile crawlers Can’t differentiate mobile content
Max link value. No risk of split link value Could affect usability/CRO
No redirects = low latency & fewer errors New code may affect rankings

24. Tips for Chrome Users
Most people know about Developer Tools
…but may not know how to use them.
2 useful browser plugins anyone can use:
User Agent Switcher
Web Developer Plugin
@yottaa #WebPerf

25. Responsive Not.

26. Few major sites implement RWD
About.com
Boston Globe
Lycos
Microsoft
Norwegian Broadcasting
Opera Community
Starbucks
Time
W3.org
World Wildlife Fund
A Book Apart
Burton
Cocosa
Currys
Folksy
Nuts.com
Skinny Ties
Tommy Hilfiger
United Pixel Workers
Visual Supply Co
@yottaa #WebPerf

27. Dynamic Content better for UX, CPO
Advantages Disadvantages
One URL for max inbound link value Potential CDN caching issues
Content optimized & targeted for mobile Setup can be difficult/tricky
One URL means no content duplication
@yottaa #WebPerf

28. Mobile URL Redirect
Advantages Disadvantages
Enables mobile-optimized content Split mobile/main link value
m. subdomains synonymous with mobile Large investment to implement redirects
Could affect usability/CRO
Various mobile implementations complex

29. Tips for Redirects
Most frameworks and platforms will provide
tools to make redirects close to effortless
2 examples that implement & test redirects:
Wordpress Redirection
Redirect Path Chrome Extension
”The optimal number of redirects for mobile is exactly zero." @igrigorik
@yottaa #WebPerf

31. Which solution is right for you?
Do you have the time, capital, and skill for RWD?
Responsive Web Design is difficult and time-consuming (addons.mozilla.org)
Standards are still forming (Element Query Polyfill)
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer speed & simplify dynamic content, redirects, more
Remember that mobile bandwidth is variable
Last mile network connectivity and speed will vary greatly
Local storage and processing power is also highly variable
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer decrease bandwidth and optimize delivery
Realize that mobile browsers provide less feedback
Perception of speed is at least 15% slower than reality
Developers have fewer tools to provide users with feedback
Tools like Yottaa provide specific testing, monitoring and optimizations for mobile
@yottaa #WebPerf

32. Step Three
Optimize Images &
Assets
@yottaa #WebPerf

33. Image-ine that…
20%
4%
5%
70%
1%
Average Bytes per Page by Content Type on Mobile
Scripts
Stylesheets
HTML
Images
Other
@yottaa #WebPerf

34. 26% smaller than PNG
25-34% smaller than JPEG
No planned Firefox support
SVGs are resolution independent
…but much heavier than PNGs
Progressive JPEG enables faster perceived load
Drop 75%! Try 2x display size w/high compression
Lossy/Lossless optimizations like ImageOptim-CLI

35. Can you spot the difference?
@yottaa #WebPerf

36. Which solution is right for you?
Do you have the time, capital, and skill for DIY?
You have free tools to identify problem images (PNGCrush, OptiPNG, jpegtran)
Techniques are varied, and require skill to apply correctly
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer automatically cache, optimize and serve images
Remember that mobile bandwidth is variable
Images contend with other resources for bandwidth
Mobile devices are powerful, but still have less CPU/GPU horsepower
Tools like Yottaa Site Optimizer apply lossy/lossless compression & right-size
Image optimization techniques are still evolving
WebP is a new standard that may be challenged (Firefox adoption)
Progressive JPEG rendering is gaining in popularity, but browser support varies
Vendors like Yottaa are constantly evolving their offerings to add the latest
techniques
@yottaa #WebPerf

37. @yottaa #WebPerf

38. Never do what a tool can do for you
Don’t blindly trust tools
Obsessively monitor to understand your progress

39. The Essential Toolkit
Benchmark Performance: Web Page Test (WPT)
How fast is my site?
What do my visitors see?
Which assets are slowing me down?
Monitoring Solution: Yottaa Site Monitor
How am I currently operating?
What trends can I determine?
Which aspects of my infrastructure or traffic should I address?
WPO solution(s): Yottaa Site Optimizer
How can my current implementation be optimized?
What custom optimizations should I implement?
Which assets or traffic sources require more or immediate attention?
@yottaa #WebPerf

40. Thank You!
Follow us! @yottaa
www.yottaa.com/signup
@yottaa #WebPerf