Many of you have likely been hearing the media and social networks exploding with words like mobilegeddon and mobilegate during the past several weeks. This is because Google unleashed a major update to it's search algorithm that will have a dramatic negative effect on sites that are not mobile-friendly. Considering how more than 61% of the world uses a mobile device to search the web over a desktop, this is something that all website owners should stop and take note of.
Q: When did Google release the mobile-friendly update?
A: April 21, 2015
Q: Who does the search algorithm update impact?
A: This update will only impact mobile searches and will give a ranking boost to mobile-friendly websites in mobile search results only.
Q: Will my desktop Google search rankings change?
A: Google has stated that this will only effect search results from a mobile phone, but it is hard to believe that this will have zero effect on desktop search results as well over time.
Q: How do I know if my site is mobile-friendly?
A: You will know right away by viewing your website in Google rankings on a mobile phone as it will have a ‘mobile friendly’ label to the left of it. You may also run a free scan using Google’s mobile friendly testing tool.
Q: If I upgrade my website to be mobile-friendly today, how long will it take Google to notice?
A: Google has greatly increased it’s speed on indexing new sites and site changes. It can now take as little at 72-hours for Google to index your site and tag you as mobile-friendly as long as the web firm you hire programmed everything to Google’s mobile standards.
Q: Will this impact AdWords ads or Pay Per Click?
A: No, this is only for organic listings.
Q: Can you be partially mobile-friendly according to Google?
A: No. It is black or white. You are either mobile-friendly or not mobile-friendly in the eyes of Google. There are no tricks or quick fixes you can apply to a currently non mobile-friendly site.
Q: How badly will my site be impacted for not being mobile-friendly?
A: The truth is that no one knows for sure. We were told it will be more significant than both the Panda and Penguin algorithms. This may mean that more than 11% of the search results will change from this.
Eternity Web is here to help navigate you through this change and we welcome you to contact us to discuss a mobile revamp for your site today if it is not mobile-friendly. The cost of the upgrade might surprise you for the better!
