Mobile Website Mandate by Google

Mobile Website Mandate by Google

In April of 21015, Google decided to include the use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking single.  What does this mean to you and why is it important?  This new rule by Google has a significant impact on search engine results for your website.  Google is all for making it easier for web surfers to find good, relevant content.  More importantly, mobile now accounts for almost 60% of all Google searches.

When a user performs a Google search on a mobile device, having a mobile-friendly website will significantly impact the rank of your website in the search results. The ranking helps users get high quality search results that are optimized for the mobile device of the user.  So if the user is using a smart phone, it’s critical that a mobile-friendly version of your website is available.

The two primary types of websites that meet the criteria:

  1. Responsive Websites: a website that automatically adjusts the user’s screen based on the device being used
  2. Mobile version of the Website: a website dedicated to mobile devices which is automatically detected when a mobile device is used

If your desktop website was built with responsive design, then you should be all set.  But if your website was not built with responsive design and you don’t want to start over with a new website, the best option may be to add a mobile version of your website.

Is my website already mobile-friendly?
If you are unsure if your current website meets Google’s definition of mobile-friendly, check yourself!  Google has provided a mobile-friendly test tool.
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/