As most people know, Google shook up its Algorithm by releasing a Mobile Friendly update on 21st April this year, affectionately labelled as ‘Mobilegeddon’. This update was set to be the biggest update since Google’s Penguin update, however didn’t cause as big a wave as expected. This means that you still have time to update your website before its mobile traffic rankings drop.
If your website is not mobile responsive and doesn’t pass the Mobile Friendly Test, you risk your website’s rankings on mobile slowly disappearing from top rankings, giving your competitors the edge over you.
Search Engine Land states that the use of mobile and tablet devices now exceeds the use of laptops and desktops. Which means you may not be found in over half of your customers web searches.
What does Mobile Friendly mean?
It doesn’t mean ‘does my website show up on mobile devices?’. It means ‘does my website offer a good user-experience on a small screen?’ Many websites still require the user to repeatedly zoom in and out on a page to navigate, read content, see pictures, and push tiny buttons.
What will happen if I don’t make my website responsive?
1. Drop in overall traffic – in Feb 2014 mobile and tablet usage officially overtook that of PC usage
2. Drop in organic visits – Google’s mobile friendly algorithm means that any mobile usability issues on your website will affect its rankings when searched
3. Competition will take away your edge – competition in the online world is fierce and your competitors are already leveraging mobile traffic from the latest updates.
So if your website isn’t mobile friendly, now is the time to do something about it.
To see if your website passes the Google Mobile Friendly Test go to: www.google.com.au/mobile-friendly/
My website is not responsive, what now?
There are two options:
1. Build a completely separate mobile responsive website
2. Build a website with a framework that automatically adjusts to fit the user’s screen size.
Contact the team at Fireworks for a free no obligation quote on 1300 660 160. We can also arrange a meeting to discuss your website updates, needs and goals.