OK, guys – so here’s the potentially bad news: If your site isn’t fully optimized for mobile devices, you can expect to see a decline in your ranking on mobile search this week (you are reviewing your Google analytics, right?).
The good news? Hoarding jugs of water and Top Ramen is not necessary for this digital tribulation (but strongly recommended…just to be safe).
Beginning on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Google is going to make a massive change to the way it ranks websites. Having a site that is friendly to mobile browsers on smartphones and tablets will be key as Google rolls out a new mobile-focused algorithm.
As a general rule, we only design and develop responsive, web-friendly websites at Hampton Creative. In fact, with enough SEO magic and digital strategy, our client’s websites are waaay more than friendly with Google…we think it could be love. But don’t just take our word for it; here’s how Google explained the latest changes:
“Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high-quality search results that are optimized for their devices.”
Bottom line: Companies without a good mobile/responsive website will suffer, as searchers on mobile will see sites with good mobile experiences ranked higher than those with no mobile or poor mobile sites.
The change, designed to help users find search results formatted for their device, reinforces Google’s mobile-focus. In fact, it’s expected to have an impact bigger than the previous two algorithm updates Panda and Penguin, which affected 12% and over 3% of search results respectively.
Are you – and your website – ready for Mobilegeddon? Here’s a quick and free tool from Google that will give you a quick assessment of whether your mobile rank will suffer as a result of the April 21st change.
If you didn’t receive a successful message from Google with the word “awesome” in the response, let’s talk. Knowledge is power, but only if you use it.
2 Comments
Jesse Pisors
Just shared this link with the members of my Marketing Team at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Great stuff! Thanks! Greetings to Johnie….
Christian Ensor
Thanks for the kind words, Jesse. We trust all is well with you – let’s stay in touch!