Tailoring web marketing campaigns to mobile users opens businesses up to greater conversion opportunities as mobile device owners spend more money online.

Businesses optimizing their websites for tablet users may find more conversions taking place online, as a new study from Ipsos and PayPal reveals tablet owners spend more money online than others.

Tailoring the web experience to mobile devices – both smartphones and tablets – is quickly becoming a competitive necessity for businesses. Aside from the technological element of mobile web optimization, altering keyword strategies to target mobile users is critical.

Mobile devices and applications, especially Google mobile search, factor a searcher’s location into the results. With that in mind, developing quality content with keywords that consider local SEO will help businesses improve their standings in mobile search.

According to the study, the benefits of reaching these mobile consumers can be substantial for a business. People owning both a smartphone and a tablet spend 63 percent more online than those with neither device. Even those who just own a smartphone are more valuable prospects, spending 29 percent more than most.

“We are starting to see more retailers take advantage of this trend by tailoring their mobile websites and apps for tablets,” Laura Chambers, senior director of mobile for PayPal, said in a release. “With more shoppers planning to use tablets to shop this holiday season, and quite often using them from the comfort of their own home, we expect that retailers will see quite a bit of ‘couch commerce’ this year.”

Mobile SEO can help businesses increase conversions online and in stores. Brafton recently reported that Google predicts that 15 percent of searches on Black Friday will occur on a mobile device, which could translate into greater web traffic and in-store visits for businesses that cater to these shoppers. 

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.