36% of mobile web search results vary from desktop

Google searches on mobile phones are delivering different results in comparison to desktops and laptops, according to new data.

The research found that 36% of mobile web search results vary from desktop, with 23% showing pages from completely different sites, according to Searchmetrics US Google Ranking Factors 2014 Study

Nearly a quarter (23%) were from completely different websites.

The findings are based on an analysis of Google.com search results for ten thousand relevant informational and transactional keywords, focusing on the first 30 results.

Mobile web searches are increasing exponentially, with Google estimating that queries from mobiles grew five-fold in the last two years.

“Google is increasingly focused on the intent and context of search queries,” said Marcus Tober, Searchmetrics’ founder and CTO.

“It understands that these vary between devices, and consequently delivers results differently on mobile phones and traditional computers.

“For mobile searches it has additional information about the searcher, such as their location, which impacts the results it delivers. Our research demonstrates that marketers need to focus on different areas than they do for desktop, if they are to increase visibility on smartphones.”

The Searchmetrics study indicates that mobile search results on Google.com tend to include pages with fewer backlinks from other sites than the results for the same searches on desktop and laptop.

“The difference in number of links occurs because many companies still use dedicated mobile pages.  If more companies start using responsive design – which automatically optimises the same page to suit different devices – you would see fewer or even no overall differences in backlinks or social links because it’s the same URLs,” explained Tober.