SEO mobile app optimization: multi tag link alternate media per every devices is acceptable in the desktop page?

[AdiRste]

Hi All,

Hi hope someone could answer to this question because on internet I haven't found a clear solution so far:

I have:

• 1 desktop website (let's make www.example.com)
• and different mobile websites for each main device (let's make iphone.example.mobi; android.example.mobi; winphone.example.mobi)

In order to optimize my mobile websites, According to the Google guideline of the above separate urls configuration , I should add a tag link alternate media in the desktop page and a canonical tag in the corresponding mobile page in order to create a connection between them. But, I need to keep a 1-to-1 connection between desktop page and mobile page (Google recommends to have 1 desktop page linked to  1 mobile page and viceversa and discourages the 1-to-multi connections).

What I would like: In my case, I have to add the a single desktop page of desktop site (example www.example.com/category1/), 3 links alternate media tag,( one for iphone.example.mobi, one for android.example.mobi and one for winphone.example.mobi). Furthemore, I have to add a canonical tag in every corresponding mobile page of the 3 mobile site version, a canonical tag pointing to my sektop page www.example.com/category1/.

Now my worries are: having a single desktop page with 3 different link alternate tags pointing to 3 different mobile websites (one each), is something or not aligned to the google seo mobile guideline? If not, How should I configure my desktop website and my 3 mobile web applications(iphone, android, winphone) in order to follow the Google requirements for Separate urls apllication?

Thanks,

Massimliano

[KristinaKledzik]

Hi Massimilano,

Whoa, I've never heard of anyone creating a separate URL for every type of phone. There aren't that many differences between iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone browsers, so I'm surprised you're putting in the time to create one of each. If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to build your site like this?

In terms of SEO, though, here's what I'd do: make the iPhone version of your site the rel="alternate," since Googlebot calls itself an iPhone. When Google sends mobile visitors to the iPhone version of your site, just redirect them based on their device type.

Hope this helps!

Kristina