Mobile friendly Google? How to get there
Keep calm, advertising is all in hand.
The mobile apocalypse is here! Well that’s what some media outlets will have you believe anyway. Last week Google released its latest search algorithm update that ‘officially’ increased the relevancy of mobile friendly websites within mobile Search Engine Results Pages (SERP’s).
According to Google, 50% of all searches are now performed on mobile, this statistic reinforces the trend that the industry experts have been predicting for several years. Mobile is here and you better be ready for it. No doubt your own analytics are showing increased engagement with your brand from ‘non-desktop’ sources. Dubbed ‘Mobilegeddon’ by some, the new update rewards sites that not only allow people to find relevant content but also provides them with a good mobile browsing experience i.e. making the content easier to read and interact with on a smaller screen.
So what’s in it for Google?
The long and the short of it is revenue opportunity. Over 90% of Google’s revenue is generated via online advertising so it makes sense to capitalise on this by placing more emphasis on mobile engagement.
What does it mean to me? Below are the top 7 points extracted from the update:
- It only effect searches on Mobiles, not searches on Tablets or Desktops. So check your analytics.
- Mobile friendliness is one ranking factor of Search and it only effect pages (not entire sites, (watch out for the next update though).
- Principally the page needs to be easy to use on a mobile.
- Text needs to be readable without double tapping or zooming.
- Make sure ‘Tap targets’ aren’t too small. 6 Don’t have unplayable content. 7 Avoid horizontal page scrolling.
So how do you find out if you adhere to these new criteria, Google have built an easy to use tool to see how your site performs:
https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome
it doesn’t matter if it’s a mobile site or fully responsive, the same rules apply. In conclusion, as more people use mobiles, making sites mobile friendly is not just good for Google, but also consumers and website owners.
Making the purchasing decisions and messaging easier for the mobile consumer is surely a good thing for all? I guess only time/analytics will tell as Google continue with the rollout…
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