Dynamically serving different HTML on the same URL

[riyas_]

Dear Mozers,

We are creating a mobile version for a real estate website. We are planning to dynamically serve different HTML on same URL.

I'm a little confused about the on-page optimization for the mobile version. The desktop version pages has lot of text content and I strongly believe that made us ranking for various keywords. Now if I'm creating this mobile version do I need to serve all the same exact text content on the mobile version too?

I found zillow.com using the same method, their desktop version has lot of text content and mobile version is clean without any text. Does this affect the sites SEO anyway?

Please help, share your thoughts.

• RIyas

[BenBowen]

Rylas,

I don't believe it does effect the SEO as long as you are serving up the content properly. I wouldn't do a css attribute of display:none to any of the content you don't want to show. Also write the mobile version for the user not for Google. Make it clean and easy to understand.

*Link for other ways to 'hide' content

http://css-tricks.com/places-its-tempting-to-use-display-none-but-dont/

[Aleyda]

Hi Muhammed,

The text of your mobile version doesn't need to be exactly the same than the one from your desktop one, in fact, by dynamically serving different HTMLs you'll have much more flexibility to optimize your mobile HTMLs as much as possible from a content, design and SEO perspective to target your mobile audience.

Just to clarify, since I know is usually a concern in this type of situation: This is not cloaking. If you show the same content to both users and crawlers of the same device type then it's ok, you'll show the same mobile optimized HTMLs versions to both mobile users and crawlers, and the other desktop optimized HTMLs, to both desktop users and crawlers.

I would recommend you to check this post I wrote some time ago with some of the most common concerns when doing Mobile SEO, where this and other questions are clarified.

Thanks!

[riyas_]

Thanks Aleyda, I read your article it was very informative and my confusion has been sorted out