To reach the widest possible audience, brands need to use content marketing tools like Google's new Mobile Usability reports to make sure every lead can seamlessly interact with a site.

Mobile usability is a big part of SEO and content marketing, because pages that are difficult to navigate on a small screen will see high bounce rates and low conversion numbers. Fortunately, Google is trying to help site owners figure out how to make their content more appealing no matter how it’s seen.

There’s a new feature in Webmaster Tools called the Mobile Usability Feature that allows webmasters to create a report on different factors that significantly affect mobile user experience, including small fonts, fixed-width viewpoints and clickable links too close together. These elements are the sorts of problems that won’t necessarily hurt a desktop site, but which can significantly harm a mobile strategy.

Mobile goes mainstream – does UX follow?

It’s hard to argue any business can ignore mobile traffic. Covario’s quarterly analysis of paid search spending found mobile devices accounted for one-third of all spending on search is targeted for mobile devices (18 percent for smartphones, 15 percent for tablets). So while the trend is headed toward mobile, there’s still time to design a site that will look good on any kind of screen.

The good news is tweaks that help with mobile navigation can also improve the desktop experience. For example, one Brafton client was concerned with high bounce rates and low conversion numbers. We took a look at their web interface, including site design and calls to action.

We determined they needed to revamp their UX, and specifically, retool calls to action if they were going to retain more qualified traffic and drive leads. We implemented a new CTA scheme that included:

 Contrasting colors to set separate information
 Larger text for greater readability on any screen
 An obvious information hierarchy users could intuitively follow

The company saw a 200 percent increase in conversions and a 122 percent bump in the likelihood visitors would click calls to action.

When we talk about mobile content marketing, it doesn’t mean brands have to focus on smartphone users, although it’s certainly important to consider how they’re interacting with your site. Instead, it just means user experience, site design and even visual content like infographics become more important.

Want to learn more about how design and site organization can help marketing? 
Check out our ebook:
A marketer’s guide to UX: The ‘invisible’ elements that fuel success.

Alex Butzbach is a Marketing Writer at Brafton. He studied Communications at Boston College, and after a brief stint teaching English in Japan, he entered the world of content marketing. When he isn't writing and researching, he can be found on a bike somewhere in Metro Boston.