MAKE YOUR WEBSITE RESPONSIVE OR FEAR GOOGLE’S WRATH!
Since 2012 Google have been making noises that they are going to change their algorithm to make it more ‘mobile’ friendly. Essentially this means that anyone that doesn’t have a website that is responsive will be punished under the updates that Google is going to role.
Google believe, and rightly so, that many consumers now access the internet via their mobile devices and this is only set to increase in the future with a heavy reliance on tablet and mobile devices and an increase in the technological capability of these devices. Consumers now want to view websites on the move, whether they are in a coffee shop or on the bus it is important in Google’s eyes that their ‘search’ produces the best results possible in order to ensure a good user experience. This therefore means that responsive websites are favored by Google and will be more likely to feature at the top of the search list.
What are the signs?
In May 2014 mobile usability was added to Pagespeed insights:
In July 2014 Google began to notify users when pages may not work on their devices:
In November 2014 Google introduced a signal that highlights mobile friendly websites to users:
How will my website be affected if i don’t make changes?
If these direct actions from Google are anything to go by, then you would assume that Google are planning on making changes to the way that their search works in order to favor the mobile friendly site. Worst case scenario for anyone that doesn’t have a mobile friendly site is that their website will not show up on a mobile Google search. Considering how many people now search using mobile devices this isn’t ideal for any business! Whether brand search will be affected is unknown however you would assume that any changes to the algorithm would affect all results that are not mobile friendly.
How do i find out if my website is affected?
If you check Google’s PageSpeed insights it will inform you if your website is performing poorly on a mobile device. Luckily Google show you what the issues are with your website and how to correct them. You will first need to asses how much of an issue these algorithm changes will make to your website if you don’t make changes. How will it affect your inbound leads and your sales if the general public cannot access your website via mobile devices.
How do i make the changes?
If you build your website in house then it should be a made a priority to make the changes to ensure your website is mobile friendly. If your website is built by a developer then you will need to contact them in order to get the changes made. The most effective way of ensuring your website is deemed acceptable by Google is to ensure it is responsive. If your website has been built by a developer and is responsive then it should work on all devices.
Summary
Google are always trying to improve the user experience and what Google says, pretty much goes! If Google are asking you to improve the mobile usability of your website then it is something that you need to do sooner rather than later otherwise you risk your site not being indexed on a mobile device!
If your website isn’t responsive and you want to talk over the options available to you, please don’t hesitate to contact Technicweb on 0845 301 1198 or email sales@technicweb.com.
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