Google recently announced its next round of sweeping changes to their famously vague search algorithm, disclosing that the degree to which your site is mobile friendly will play strongly into your rank. As of this writing, you have about 3 weeks left to get your site in order – as Google’s gradual rollout will start April 21st.
As the percentage of web traffic on mobile devices has surpassed that of static devices or desktop/laptop access, the need for sites that offer content that is flexibly formatted to a variety of screens continues to grow.
What makes a site mobile-friendly?
To help you determine if your site will make the cut, Google recommends that you try their Mobile-Friendly test, which allows you to plug in your website’s URL and get specific feedback about what changes need to be made to make the cut. Among the recommendations you may see, are the following:
Spacing out links so that users don’t accidentally take an unintended action on a crowded screen
Suppressing the load of large images, so as not to use a disproportionate amount of a cellular data plan
Phone numbers are set up for click to call functionality
Addresses are optimized to use a device’s navigation or mapping functionality
Forms are simplified for mobile device usage
How will this impact my website’s traffic?
You may have noticed that Google has already given more favorable search results to sites that are mobile-friendly, even adding a tag that denotes mobile-optimized sites in search results. The change has already been a game-changer for many, and with additional, more stringent changes to come later this month, we anticipate that this may be an opportunity for businesses to overtake their competitors who are less vigilant or tuned-in to Google’s changes.
Afraid that your site won’t be ready in time for the rollout? Reach out to THYNKgroup for a website check, recommendations and a quote on a short-term fix or a long-term strategy.