Have you heard the term “Mobilegeddon” floating around lately? On April 21, Google unleashed an algorithm change that could have a huge impact on business websites. Here’s what you need to know to help you decide what, if any, immediate changes you should make to your website.
1. The change only impacts search results on mobile phones.
Even though the new algorithm only changes Google results on smartphones, it’s still significant. Did you know nearly 50% of all Google searches are made on mobile devices? Some sources estimate an even higher percentage.
2. The change may favor small businesses.
According to Lucasz Zelezny, Head of SEO at uSwitch.com, “Small businesses tend to be far more flexible with their tech teams able to apply changes far quicker and easier than larger enterprises due to a less complicated infrastructure, also making it easier to roll out new software and processes.” Forbes reports that many Fortune 500 companies are still noncompliant with Google’s new criteria, even though Google warned of the upcoming change two months in advance.
3. You can make changes although the “deadline” has passed.
Don't panic. If your website was not yet ready for the change that Google began implementing on April 21, all is not lost. You may lose your ranking for the time being, but by upgrading your website to pass Google’s mobile-friendly test, you can regain your status. It’s still very important to act quickly, however. If you wait too long, your competitors could beat you to the punch, taking some of your potential customers away from you. If you’re pushed down the search list on Google, you could be lost to many people you might have otherwise attracted to your site.
4. These tools can help you determine if your site is mobile friendly.
There are several ways to determine whether your website is mobile-friendly.
- One way is to take out your smartphone right now and search for your business on Google. Do the words “Mobile-friendly” appear next to it in the search results?
- Copy and paste your website’s URL on Google’s official Mobile-Friendly Test page. Your results will either come out as mobile-friendly or not mobile-friendly. If the latter, Google will give you a list of reasons that your site was identified this way.
- Try using Google’s Mobile Usability Report. Run this report to see how Google views your website and if there is anything you need to change.
- Check out this list of common mistakes Google sees on mobile websites. Even if your site is mobile-friendly, it may not rank as well as it could, and when you do get traffic, you might not be able to get people to stay on your site long enough to contact your business. Excessive page load time is one of the most common issues that Google identifies. Pages that take too long to load can tax visitors' patience and cause them to leave your site before reaching the information they are seeking.
5. If you need to make a change…
If your website is not mobile friendly, you have three choices, according to Google.
- Responsive Website Design: This is recommended above the other two options. Responsive websites are designed to adapt to different screen sizes, eliminating the need to create two separate websites.
- Dynamic Serving: This option consists of one URL, but the HTML changes depending on what type of device the site visitor is using.
- Separate Mobile Website: If you choose this option, you’ll end up with two websites with the exact same information. This may be confusing for visitors if they click on the wrong version on the device being used.
Responsive Website Design
To get your website optimized for mobile use and gain the power to drive more traffic for your business, contact Blue Frog Marketing, with offices in Denver and Des Moines. We can transform your site into a responsive website that you, your customers, and Google will be happy with. We serve customers all over the country, so no matter where you are, we can help. Click the button below to get started!
