It’s the end of SEO as we know it. On 21 April 2015, Google rolled out its new algorithm for non-mobile-friendly websites. In a statement the company said: “Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”
So what does this really mean and why should you care?
You need to make sure your website is mobile optimised.
If your website is not optimised to be viewed on a smartphone or tablet, then you will not appear high in the search results, it will be harder for people to find you, and you’ll be losing out against your competitors who do have a mobile-optimised website. You are either mobile-friendly or not, there are no degrees of mobile-friendliness in this algorithm.
This means that in the case where websites that do accommodate for mobile, they would be getting an additional rankings boost.
Keeping Google happy is one reason to make sure you are mobile friendly, but the biggest reason is to keep your customers happy.
The latest 2015 digital device stats from the Global Web Index show that of 40,000 Internet users surveyed, 80% own a smartphone.
It also showed that the majority of adults (16-64) now personally own a desktop or laptop AND a smartphone with nearly half owning a tablet.
This shows the importance of providing great online experiences across multiple devices. Your customers are expecting it – and Google will punish you if it isn’t.
Next steps…
There are two ways for you to check whether your website is mobile-friendly
- Use this mobile-friendly testing tool from Google and enter your URL.
- Just Google your brand using a smartphone. If you see a grey “mobile-friendly” label next to your site, then you’re all fine and don’t need to worry.
In today’s world, if your website is not fully responsive to allow your visitors to visit your website via their computer, their tablet, or their mobile, at a time and a place when they want to, then they will go elsewhere and you will lose their custom.
Whether you like it or not, it is all about the customer experience and more importantly consumer behaviour!
So, if you’ve tested your website to see if it’s mobile-friendly, and – shock horror! – it’s not, then get in touch with us today to have a chat and see how we can help.
Drop Lorna a line if you want to know more.