Mobile-Friendly Sites: No Longer Optional
If you haven’t heard, there are big changes coming to Google. For the first time ever, Google has released specific details and the implementation date for the new search results algorithm. Since April 21, mobile friendly sites are no longer optional if ranking well is a priority for your business.
Google, like all business must provide a positive user experience to compete with other search engines. As the number of mobile searches increases, so does Google’s need to rely on mobile-friendly search results. The April 21 update only affected mobile search rankings, but it is clear responsive design is critical to keeping your business relevant.
How Do You Know If Your Site is Responsive?
Source: Flickr, Antoine Lefeuvre
A responsive site recognizes the screen size of the device and adjusts accordingly. There are several make-shift ways to test if a site is responsive. Can you pinch the screen of your device to change the size of the website? Your site is not responsive. Does the screen need a horizontal scroll bar if you make the browser window narrower? Not responsive.
Still not sure if your website is mobile-friendly? Ask the person in charge. Google has a mobile-friendly test that will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly.
What Do I Do Now?
The trend has been moving towards mobile design for a few years now, but most businesses haven’t made the switch. This algorithm update is a strong indicator that why business should consider a website redesign sooner rather than later.
Step-by-Step Approach:
- Test your website with Google’s mobile-friendly test
- Establish a migration plan with your webmaster or marketing firm
- Find or design a responsive web design
- Update and place your search engine optimized content
- Launch your new, user-friendly, search engine optimized website
The Takeaway?
Mobile-friendliness is no longer optional. As mobile searches increase, search engines are only going to further support mobile friendly results.
Want to talk about what it would take to keep your business relevant? Talk to us.