Mobile-friendly website design is about to become highly important in April. Search engine behemoths Google will be introducing a new algorithm which depreciates a website’s value if it isn’t adapted to suit phones. The warning signs have been there for some time, but now the reality has struck and many websites will be scrambling to get their website mobile ready.
Mobiles have been playing an increasingly prominent part in the world of the internet, with the expectation now being for virtually all websites to be responsive. Starting from the 21st of April 2015 a website’s mobile friendliness will help determine where it will appear in mobile search engine rankings. It’s an incentive which should see mobile-friendly sites become the absolutely norm, as with huge audiences now accessing the internet on their phones it would be a potentially disastrous to ignore the trend.
Being Mobile-Friendly
Whilst having a responsive site is important, a mobile-friendly site is a different thing. It has to be a separate site built for a small screen, although this can cause some issues on the varying types of mobiles. As a result, many businesses are uncertain with how to progress on the mobile front.
The warning signs have been there for any businesses concerned about this shift. Error messages have highlighted the importance of a responsive site, citing a three point plan to fix “broken” websites. Such an example is seen below:
Google’s Mobile Friendly Search Results
Despite annoyances leveled at Google for disrupting business practices, their algorithms have always been about supplying a spam free, enjoyably user experience. So long as your website displays originality and is beneficial, then it will have some success in SERPs.
In the company’s official statement on February 26th they stated, “Users should get the most relevant and timely results, no matter if the information lives on mobile-friendly web pages or apps. As more people use mobile devices to access the internet, our algorithms have to adapt to these usage patterns.”
There will be two aspects to the new algorithm.
- The first change places a priority for mobile-friendly websites in search results. A key announcement and significant moment in mobile history.
As stated above, this will begin on the 21st of April and will affect mobile search in all languages across the globe. This is, of course, a big overhaul for search results in the future, which reiterates the importance of having a mobile friendly website.
Rather than simply stranding brands with no responsive design in the wilderness, Google has provided plenty of free tools to get their site up to date. You can visit their Get Started or Mobile-Friendly Test pages for further information.
- The second change is for more relevant app content in search results. This started on the 26th February, and sees Google using data from indexed apps as a factor in ranking for users with specific apps installed.
Content from indexed apps may come to the fore of SERPs as a result, which would make for a more personalised search result (which has been one of Google’s key objectives for some time). Developers can see the technical requirements here.
The Outcome
In the hyper competitive world of SEO, PPC, and other digital marketing techniques, a premium will now be placed on the rapidly expanding sites into the mobile market. For businesses, your website now absolutely has to be mobile-friendly. It’s not just Google who expect it – customers do too.
If you’re concerned about the impending change, contact Soap Media and we can help your site become mobile-friendly.
