Last week, Google rolled out a new Algorithm Update. The update was dubbed “Mobilegeddon” by SEOs and digital marketers worldwide. The name can be misleading, unless your company has ignored the drive towards mobile search that has occurred over the past two years. In this week’s San Diego web design post, we will explain what the update is, who it affects, and how to respond if your website was affected.
What Is the Update?
Back in February, Google announced they would be rolling out a mobile-friendly search update in April. The announcement stated that the algorithm would make “mobile-friendliness” a ranking signal and the update would affect mobile searches worldwide. The announcement included a guide to mobile-friendly sites, a link to a mobile-friendly test, and a link to a mobile-usability tool in Webmaster Tools.
On Tuesday, April 21st, Google announced the mobile-friendly update started rolling out. The post stated the intent of the update was to make it easier for users on a mobile device to “find high-quality and relevant results where text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling.” Essentially, the update ensures website designs accommodate mobile searchers and create a great, user-friendly experience.
How Does the Update Affect My Website?
Websites that do not have mobile-friendly pages will be impacted by the update. Search rankings for non-mobile pages will drop significantly, along with the traffic from those pages. If you notice a large drop off in regular traffic after 4/21, your website may have been affected. This is because Google is no longer serving up your web pages in mobile searches. Essentially, your website won’t be receiving traffic from mobile users searching for your services or products.
What Can I Do?
If you have responsive web design or a mobile version of your site, you don’t need to worry about this update. As a San Diego web design company building websites, we didn’t panic at the news, but we also did not ignore it. Even though many of the websites we created over the past year were responsive (in our opinion, the best solution for mobile), our web developer researched and found out how to make non-responsive and non-mobile websites compliant with the new update.
Your best bet is to contact your webmaster and ensure your web design is mobile-friendly. The good news is that once you take steps to make your website mobile-friendly, Google will re-crawl and re-index your site. According to Google, websites that were affected and make the updates won’t be affected for very long.
Long-Term Web Design Strategy
Whether you have a non-responsive website or a mobile version of your website, it’s a good idea to start thinking about redesigning your website with a responsive design. Responsive web design ensures that your website will accommodate any device and will create a user-friendly experience.
In the end, Google and other search engines are focused on creating a great user experience. At Bop Design, we encourage all of our San Diego web design clients to consider responsive design when building a new website. It’s great for users and it’s great for search engines.
