Google changes may affect 40% of your web traffic

Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Have you ever performed a Google Search via Mobile device and got literally lost in the process because the text was just too small and the links where too close, making it virtually impossible to accurately select anything on screen? One possible cause may be the fact that your website is not optimized for mobile devices. On April 21^st, 2015, Google officially launched its mobile-friendly algorithm in order to help overly frustrated users.

Google aims at helping users finding what they’re actually looking for through the incorporation of a mobile-friendly label associated with results that comply with certain criteria. This is the first step towards an improved user experience from a mobile perspective; however, Google admits there are still a number of experiences being undertaken in order to use mobile-friendly labels as possible ranking criteria.

What does this means to companies?

First of all, a significant number of websites is at risk due to the algorithm update, unless they become significantly Mobile-Friendly. There has been speculation that a vast number of well-known brands are at risk, such as the European Union, Windows Phone, Versace, Ryanair, Danone or the Daily Mail. However, this may represent a huge opportunity for actively reactive companies, since having a mobile-friendly website may translate into boosting your position in terms of search engine rankings, hence, a clear competitive advantage. It is estimated that the impact of the update will be significantly bigger than the previous ones – Panda and Penguin – although your website level of success will depend if you seize the opportunity or not.

What to do to eliminate negative consequences and seize this opportunity?

First of all, one needs to clearly understand that the consequences may be significant. As it was previously mentioned, in order to avoid taking risks, your website must be mobile-friendly. What does this actually means? Primarily, websites need to contain large readable text and easy to click through links. They also need to have a responsive design, meaning the webpage URL will remain the same, regardless of it being opened in a computer or a mobile device, but will adapt to screen size, thus improving significantly the navigation experience.

How to check if your website is mobile-friendly?

Google provides a free tool to determine if your website is mobile-friendly or not. You just need to type the address and in a few seconds you’ll have a result.

How to improve a website to become mobile-friendly?

• Googlebot specifies the following criteria as adamant in order for a page to be eligible to submit for a mobile-friendly label:
• It must contain text with size without implicating zoom;
• Its links should have room to breathe, allowing for an easy selection;
• All content must be adaptive to a specific screen size, so that no zoom or horizontal scroll is needed;
• The use of software’s like Flash should be kept to a minimum, since it’s not that common.

What to do in order to get a mobile-friendly tag?

After verifying your webpage status in terms of mobile-friendliness, have a more thorough read on how to create and improve your website via Google’s Webmasters Mobile Devices Guide and try to explore the usability report for mobile devices in your webmaster area. You will find a list of some of the more common usage problems throughout the entire website. Also remember to customize your website software and implement the best practices from a mobile oriented perspective recommended by Google.

Google mobile-friendly algorithm update is clearly an indication on just how important mobile research currently is and will be in the foreseeable future. With the “mobile-friendly” [1] incorporation as a ranking criteria, websites must clearly separate those who proactively choose to be mobile-friendly, in opposition to those who cannot see its benefits and the power of having a solid presence in terms of search engine results webpages displayed on mobile devices. This clearly means that it will be that much easier to find the right results at the right time and at the right place.

Still have questions?

Please check “What A Digital Agency May Do For Your Business” or simply contact us.