Changes in Google Search Policy
Chuck Nealis
Instructional Designer | OCM Training Lead | eLearning | Prompt Expert | PROSCI-certified
Several people told me that the information in yesterday's posting was so important that I should create a condensed version that states the important facts.
FACT: The percentage of mobile to desktop web viewers is steadily increasing each year.
FACT: Google is making some changes that will negatively impact any website that is not mobile-ready. Google has announced that mobile-friendliness will now be heavily weighed as a ranking signal.
FACT: On February 26, 2015, Google wrote this statement on their Webmaster Tools blog: “This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”
FACT: A Google mobile algorithm update will start on April 21, 2015 and will roll-out over a period of a few days to one week - influencing the organic results for web searches performed on mobile devices. So if your site is not mobile-ready, it will suffer lower rankings on Google when users search for your type of products and services on their mobile devices. On the flip side, if your website is mobile-friendly, you may experience an increase in rankings; especially in cases where most of your competitors haven't optimized their websites for mobile.
NEXT STEPS:
- Make sure your website is mobile-ready. This may sound like a no-brainer, but just because your website looks fine on a desktop or laptop does not mean that it is the same for mobile devices.
Google has provided a free “Mobile Friendliness” tool where you can test your website for mobile.
Here's the link:
www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly
You can tell within a few minutes whether or not your site meets the basic standards for mobile optimization.
- If your website is not mobile-ready, it’s time to change that. Whether you go with a complete mobile-responsive website re-design or a stand-alone mobile website, take measures as soon as possible to ensure your business is not negatively impacted by this major update.
If you would like an affordable, awesome and optimized mobile site for your organization, contact me.
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Have a Great Day!
Chuck Nealis