Google is Boosting Its Mobile-Friendly Algorithm. Is Your Website Ready?

by | Apr 15, 2016

Last year – for the first time ever – queries coming from mobile devices surpassed those coming from desktops.
This May, Google will be updating its mobile-friendly algorithm, making it increasingly important for businesses to optimize their websites for mobile devices.
The announcement came from Klemen Kloboves, a Software Engineer at Google.  He said that “beginning in May, we’ll start rolling out an update to mobile search results that increases the effect of the [mobile-friendly] ranking signal to help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly.”

Why Mobile Matters to Google and Your Business

Google is committed to providing the highest quality results for its searchers. If a searcher using a mobile device lands on a poorly designed page, they’ll have a negative experience. That reflects poorly on both Google and your business.
If your business has a local focus, having a mobile-friendly website is especially important:

  • According to Google, 94% of people with smartphones use their mobile devices to search for local information.
  • 88% of all “near me” searches are made from a mobile device, and these searches are growing at a rate of 150% year over year.

Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

When it comes to making your website mobile-friendly, there is no grey zone. It’s either mobile-friendly or it’s not.
Click here to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test on your website.
The good news is that if you already have a mobile-friendly website, you don’t have to worry. If it is mobile-friendly, have your web developer check your Mobile Usability Report through your Webmaster Tools account to help find any site-specific issues.
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you should direct your web developer to take action.
Google recommends responsive website design, as it’s more adaptable to any device and easier for you to maintain.
The bottom line is that more and more people are doing searches from their smart devices, and they expect to have a positive experience when they land on your mobile web pages. Regardless of what Google is up to, you need to have a mobile-friendly website. It’s a crucial piece of your online marketing infrastructure and, if not optimized, could result in missed business opportunities.
Click here to view Google’s mobile guidelines.

Core Online Marketing is an outsourced digital marketing agency for small and mid-sized businesses. Contact us to learn how to accelerate your online marketing activities!

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Ben Molfetta
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