Google to Release Mobile Friendly Update in April 2015
Over the years, Google has made a number of changes to its algorithms, and in most instances, website developers have been left wondering about the exact launch schedule or even what the change is going to be. This didn’t allow Web professionals to “game the system” and make sure that the website had all the right elements to ensure that their sites rank high on search results.
However, this time around Google has done things a little differently. It is all set to unleash Mobilegeddon, its latest mobile friendly update on 21 April; this has been widely publicized over the last few months and Webmasters have a little more clarity about what to expect. Let’s take a look at what this update is, what it means for businesses and the changes that will have to be made to fall in line with it.
Mobilegeddon is Upon Us
Mobile usage has surged in a significant way over the last 5 years and today 65% of consumers will look for services and products via their mobile devices. It goes without saying that any business that wants to top the competition, will have to ensure that users are able to access their website via their smartphones. Over the last couple of years, Google has been shining the spotlight on mobile friendliness and now Mobilegeddon underscores the fact that Google will reward sites which are mobile friendly.
Starting 21 April, the internet giant will be expanding the aspect of mobile friendliness as its ranking signal. The change is slated to affect all mobile searches in languages across the globe. This is going to have a significant impact on search results. All these changes that Google is making can sound quite intimidating to a layperson. Every Emarketer wants their business to rank very well so that a larger audience will be able to access their products and services and their website is essentially an extension of what they do.
The Rush to Update Sites
What’s good about Mobilegeddon is that this time around Google has sent out its warning well in advance and for almost a month now, Web developers everywhere are working round the clock to ensure that their client sites will be mobile friendly by 21 April. The fact is that an increasing number of users now access the internet via their mobile devices and it’s logical that Google wants to refer people to content that is easily consumable. If your site is not mobile responsive, visitors will not be able to consume the content easily and this will impact your rankings.
Steps To Take
Use this tool Google’s Mobile Friendly Test, to check the mobile friendliness of your site. If it indicates your site isn’t mobile friendly:
- Ensure that you get your Web designer to make sure your site is in line with the Mobilegeddon requirements. You have the option to create a separate version of your site for mobile, but it can be troublesome to maintain 2 sites; so try to ensure your main site is mobile responsive
- Check all your Website pages via a mobile device and ensure you are able to navigate the site easily. Use the Google tool to check whether all the pages meet the required qualifications. if they don’t, fix those pages without delay
- Google is simplifying things for you and you will find very useful instructions as to how you can rectify some commonly-found errors. That report can be sent to your Website developer, who will fix these problems for you
Be In-Sync
When you have a mobile responsive website, you are assured that it is high up on search engine rakings and that a wider audience is accessing it. This automatically puts you ahead of the game and helps boost the profitability of your website. With only around 10 days to go for Google to roll out its Mobilegeddon update, it’s time to check your website now and start thinking about what you have to do to stay in-sync with that change.
These are the tools you can use to check if you site is mobile friendly:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
http://validator.w3.org/mobile/
https://marketing.grader.com/
Thanks for reading,
Bizow Online