Mobilegeddon, Google mobile friendliness and Google search optimization

I wrote a short explanation on mobile friendliness of websites and the Google search optimization on our website. The reason for this was that many clients started to show concerns about mobile search and Google's announcement about penalizing non-mobile friendly websites, so here I thought it might be useful for everyone else to have a read.

Google is taking a step to help us weed out the sites that are not mobile friendly when people search using mobile devices. There is a term buzzing around in the last month: ‘mobilegeddon’. This buzzword describes the movement and drive to get sites mobile. Google has launched an algorithm update that gives preference to sites that are mobile optimized, when people are searching on tablets or smart phones. This means if you are not mobile optimized, and then any user with a mobile/tablet will find it harder to come across your website. As mobiles and tablets become more capable and a bigger piece of our lives, it makes sense to keep up with the market and ensure our sites work on all devices – not only to be functional but also to be seen in the first place.
Google scared everyone about this, the reason was huge jump from PCs to mobile devices in search results. But to give you peace of mind remember that this change is only going to affect mobile device searches not personal computers. Google now is penalizing websites which are not mobile friendly and no matter how optimized your website is you cannot get on the first page if your website is not mobile friendly.
Google does not see mobile friendliness as being mobile compatible, meaning even if you have a website which changes for mobile devices and you have mobile viewport installed, it does not necessarily mean your website is mobile friendly. Google looks at the size of font and spaces between links and other factors into account. Take a look at Google responsive tool tester and test your websites so you do not lose in this game.

What is more frustrating than trying to complete a purchase or find information on a website where the links are too small to read, or the site only functions properly on a desktop? The growing number of mobile and tablet users are making this an important consideration for anyone who is building or has a website.

I was victim recently in trying to carry out a transaction on a non-mobile friendly website. I was attempting to sign up for a gym membership. Simple enough, I thought ahead of time, but then when the site loaded I knew I was in trouble as all I could see was the sidebar. But eventually after scrolling for a solid minute I came to the tiny copy and even smaller fields asking for my details. But I battled on and completed my details in the space of an hour (which usually takes all of 5 minutes) and of course when I hit submit it crashed. Needless to say I gave up. These experiences are bad for business as visitors will tend to move quickly towards a competitor’s site.

The good news is that it is not as tricky as most people think to make your site mobile and tablet friendly. Hopefully you are all set but if not than our team are ready to help and make sure your site is functional on all platforms and doing what it was set out to do!

Hope this was helpful to give you some ideas about what is coming.