If you sell online or simply have a website to display your business information, following events on April 21 you might have found a sharp drop in your visitors from Google searches..
Following well documented frustrations from mobile users Google ended speculation by announcing their first mobile ranking update towards the end of February; deciding to flex its muscles on April 21st Google’s mobile update enforces higher standards for all websites in its search rankings.
What are these standards; will they impact my business?
If you sell online or operate a website of any description the message is clear:
- If your website is not mobile friendly after April 21 you will lose visibility in the Google search results; especially to competitors who already have a mobile friendly website.
- If your website is mobile friendly you will be rewarded with increased search rankings
Now while the message might be clear, the impact could be profound and search marketing professionals fully expect the update to hit more businesses than Panda and Penguin; the updates which saw thousands of business sites drop down the search pages.
You probably have an idea of what mobile friendly means to you
I’m going to go out on a whim and guess you have a smartphone yourself, and that you know too well yourself the frustration of panning across a website that just doesn’t fit into a mobile screen.
But sadly fitting into a mobile screen might not be enough to conquer Google’s mobile update.
Even if you incorporate mobile design practices Google might still knock your site a peg or two down the search results..
Safeguard your website today!
If you are one of the thousands of businesses who have yet to embrace mobile time is running out…
The best defense you can give yourself is to follow what Google themselves say..
Running a quick Google Mobile Friendly Test will give a simple yes or no answer; if you’re given the green light then you are pretty much good to go.
You should find that after April 21 your rankings are either kept the same or if you’re lucky they might improve!
For now it seems Google there is a lot more Google could do to improve mobile web standards that they are currently holding back on. It will only be a matter of time before Google rolls out more mobile updates which will no doubt impact businesses further so don’t assume that you are home free just yet…
If you want to future proof your website & protect yourself against any potential threats from Google’s mobile update I highly recommend you run a PageSpeed insights test on your website.
Pay particular attention to the mobile tab which will give you grades for mobile speed and usability. Make sure to take particular note of any recommendations Google gives you as these will help to safeguard your site against any drop in mobile search rankings.
Is mobile worth the effort?
A key fact to remember with Google’s mobile ranking update is that it won’t affect your desktop rankings.. But whether you want it or not, mobile devices are fast taking over and to not respond could be devastating for your visibility in the search results.
Key considerations:
- 1 in 4 Google searches are on mobiles – Ignoring mobile is like ignoring 25% of your customer base..
- 88% of consumers search for local business information on mobiles
- Mobile users are more likely to visit your store after a local search – In fact almost 20% more than desktop searchers!
- 60% of users who don’t find what they are looking for right away on a mobile site will quickly move on to another site.
Can you afford to ignore mobile?
Time is running out, safeguard your Google rankings today by investing in a mobile friendly design..
Call Elvin Web Marketing to secure your website against Google’s mobile update
(203)882-0171