Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a huge contributor to the success of companies. With good SEO practices, your website will rank higher in search engine results. Google has recently made its biggest change in years to its search algorithm, and it impacts everyone. Google’s search algorithm now favors mobile-friendly websites, which means that mobile-friendly sites will have better search rankings and those that are not will have lower rankings.
Is This A Big Deal? In short, this is a very big deal. Mobile searches now account for almost half of all web searches, and that percentage is continuing to grow. In fact, mobile is expected to become the preferred search method. Businesses without mobile-friendly websites could lose up to a third of their overall traffic. A released statement from Google spokesperson Krisztina Radosavljevic-Szilagyi reasons that “as people increasingly search on their mobile devices, we want to make sure they can find content that’s not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens.”
What Does Mobile Friendly Mean? The algorithm change only applies to mobile searches and, therefore, does not affect desktop searches. Google specifies that mobile-friendly websites use readable text sizes, fit mobile screens without having to zoom, and have links that are easy for users to tap. According to research firm SumAll, over two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies do not have mobile-friendly websites, and many of those that are mobile friendly are just barely passing Google’s test.
What Can You Do? You can find out if your website is mobile-friendly with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. We understand that a company’s web presence is crucial to its success, and we know how to implement effective SEO practices and develop a responsive web design. If your website is not mobile-friendly, contact us and discover what we can do for you.
