Google's Mobile-Friendly Update

Preparing for Google’s Mobile Friendly Update

A major shift in search is underway and Tuesday, April 21, will be a significant day in that shift. This is when Google will update its algorithm and place a much higher emphasis on a site’s mobile compatibility according to a company announcement in late February. This particular update is significant in that Google has never given prior warning for one of its algorithm updates.

Zineb Ait Bahajji of Google anticipates the mobile update will have a larger impact on search results than the notorious Panda and Penguin updates of years past.

It’s easy to see why considering how mobile usage among consumers and business executives has skyrocketed over the last several years.

Just think about it for a minute – do you use your smartphone to search for products, services and information on the internet?

If you’re like most people these days, you do. And like most people, you get frustrated when you’re trying to look at a site that isn’t mobile compatible. They require a lot of work on the part of the user to locate information, click links and so on.

A report from comScore sheds even more light on the significance of mobile search – this year, the number of users on a mobile device will exceed the number of desktop users by approximately 200 million.

Mobile adoption among business decision makers is even more significant. According to the IDG Global Survey 2014, more than 75% of executives research a product or service with their mobile device.

Up until now, mobile compatibility has been considered a nice add-on, but it’s increasingly apparent that it is now a necessity.

If your website is not mobile-friendly, you need to consider a design upgrade as soon as possible. Starting on April 21, your rankings will suffer if someone is searching from their smartphone or tablet. According to data from Google Think Insights, 48% of mobile users begin their search on Google or another search engine.

Although Google hasn’t explicitly stated whether this update includes searches from traditional computers, most experts agree that the April 21 update will only impact searches from mobile devices, at least in the short-term. The long-term trend indicates this will eventually change too.

If your website isn’t mobile compatible, you could see a drop in rankings and traffic after next Tuesday.

We say “could” because it really depends on how your customers are accessing your website. If only 5%-10% come through a mobile device, you’ll probably be okay for a while.

But if 50% of your traffic comes from a mobile device, you could be in for a rude awakening.

To prepare for the April 21 update, you should take the following steps as soon as possible:

1. Enter your homepage and other significant page addresses into Google’s mobile compatibility tool to see if they pass. It will give you a quick yes or no answer.
2. If the tool says your page is not mobile compatible, log in to your Google Webmaster Tools account and find the “mobile usability” tab in your “search traffic” folder. You should be provided with a list of errors and the number of pages it covers.
3. Consider a responsive design if you have significant compatibility issues. Unlike a separate domain (i.e. m.yoursite.com), a responsive design will cover your entire site.

If you don’t know where to begin, Online Potential can help you identify and address any mobile compatibility issues. Our Gainesville-based internet marketing and design firm has helped build dozens of mobile compatible, responsive websites.

Call 352.415.0887 or email us at info@online-potential.com to discuss your site’s mobile compatibility today.