Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’re well aware of the fact that Google just updated its algorithm to include mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor. If your site isn’t compatible with all devices – from smartphones to desktops to tablets – your rankings may suffer.
However, simply knowing that the algorithm update exists doesn’t help if you don’t understand what it means or what you need to do about it. Keep reading to find out how the new update could affect your SEO, and how you can avoid losing valuable traffic.
What happens if your site isn’t mobile-friendly?
If your site isn’t designed to display and function well on devices other than computers, users who perform searches on those devices won’t see it in their search results – even if it’s highly relevant to what they are looking for.
Some site owners make the mistake of thinking that this isn’t important because they aren’t trying to attract mobile users. If you’re one of those site owners, I have some bad news: yes, you are. Considering that smartphones and tablets accounted for 60% of all online traffic in 2014, you’d be unwise to alienate over half of your potential audience.
And aside from the sheer volume of traffic that comes from mobile, the intent of mobile searchers can be much more beneficial if you run a local business. For example, let’s say you own an Italian restaurant. Desktop users searching “Italian restaurant” are probably looking for somewhere to eat later in the day or week. They have plenty of time to browse, and they might take the time to look through several of the results.
Mobile users, on the other hand, are likely already out and about. They don’t have time to click through pages and pages, and there’s a good chance that they’ll choose one of the first few options. In this situation, it’s arguably more important to rank well on mobile than desktop. So how can you make that happen? First, you’ll need to see whether or not your site is mobile-friendly.
How can you tell if your site is mobile-friendly?
The best way to determine whether or not your site is seen as mobile-friendly in Google’s eyes is by taking advantage of their own mobile-friendly test. By simply entering your URL, you can find out in a matter of minutes whether or not your site’s chances of ranking well are being impacted.
If your site doesn’t have any issues, you’ll simply receive an, “Awesome! This page is mobile-friendly!” If that’s the case, your SEO (at least as far as the mobile ranking factor) is fine. If not, keep reading.
How can you make your site mobile-friendly?
If you’ve entered your site into the mobile-friendliness test, Google will point out a few of the issues with your site. If you have web development knowledge, and are capable of fixing them yourself, go ahead and do so.
However, if you’re like most business owners, and aren’t sure how to go about addressing them, it may be time to contact the agency that did your design – or find a new one. You have a few options, but our advice is to find a company that specializes in responsive design.
Is responsive design really worth it?
If you’re on our site, you know that we specialize in SEO – not web design. But here’s the thing: even though responsiveness used to only be a concern for designers and developers, it now plays an important role in SEO.
If you’re serious about attracting traffic and growing your business with the web, responsive design is worth the additional cost. In fact, as more and more Internet users start browsing with smartphones and tablets, it’s an absolute necessity.
Time to get started!
No comments yet.