Mobilegeddon has arrived, and many businesses are rushing to catch up. This phenomenon is nothing more than a tweak to the Google algorithm, one that makes mobile sites a part of a website’s page ranking, yet many believe it is much more than this. Mobile Optimization has become of great importance, as more and more individuals turn to their smartphone or other mobile device to access the web. They want to be able to obtain the same information they would if accessing the site from a desktop, and this is why Google opted to make this change.
Why Was This Change Made
Search engines function to provide the most relevant results for users. They wish to emulate the human mind to determine what a user is looking for and provide exactly that. Thanks to the increase in mobile device users, doing so requires mobile sites become part of the search engine ranking process. When a user goes to visit a site, they need to obtain information quickly and easily, and this is what the latest update focuses on. The update appears to have been a success as, within days of making this change in the algorithm, Google reported an increase in mobile traffic.
What Does It Mean For Companies
Companies having a site that doesn’t live up to Google standards will find they drop in the search engine rankings. What many don’t realize, however, is Google states only the mobile website ranking will drop. The ranking of the desktop site remains the same. In addition, each page obtains its own rank, thus one page may rank higher in the search engine results than another page on the site. Content still remains the main page rank factor, regardless of which site the search engine is evaluating.
How To Catch Up
Certain steps need to be taken to ensure a website is mobile-friendly. The first step involves testing the site to see how it performs and Google offers a tool for this. If the site fails, Google explains why this is the case and site owners have two options. Changing the current site allows one to make minor changes, but some find they need to overhaul the site. Either way, the process needs to focus on Website Flexibility and Mobile Responsiveness to guarantee the mobile site is both user and search engine friendly. The good news is that a company can change one page on their site and see an increase in search engine rankings. The entire site doesn’t have to be revamped overnight to witness a boost, and business owners are sure to appreciate this.
Changes One May Wish To Make
Companies need to design their sites for performance, using smaller images and videos of lower quality to allow pages to load faster. The key is finding the right balance between page loading time and quality content to enhance the user experience. Make certain the site is easy to navigate and the user doesn’t have to zoom to see text easily. Scrolling should be of the vertical type, instead of horizontal, and forms should be easy to complete. Mobile users tend to be in a hurry, thus website designers need to make tasks simple and to the point for greater results. Finally, avoid pop-ups and plug-ins, as they can slow a site down and be hard to close once they appear. This interferes with the user experience and will only hurt the site in the long run.
Google opted to let businesses know about this change to Mobile Search months before it happened, but this isn’t always the case. Business owners need to stay informed and ensure their sites are up to date at all times. The Internet is constantly changing, and Google changes to accommodate the needs of users. Businesses must do the same to remain competitive, and this is just one example. Stay ahead of the curve at all times for great results.
We’ve created a simple guide for you to make this process less overwhelming. You can download it right now. 10 Things to check to make sure your website is mobile friendly.
Jen Baers
Studio 10 Online | Founder