We’ve been warned that it’s coming, and yet many businesses are still unaware (or trying to ignore) that this is happening today.
Google is changing their search engine algorithm to favor sites that are fully mobile responsive – and that could leave a lot of non-mobile sites languishing in the search results.
How big a problem could this be?
“Considering that about half of all Google searches are performed on mobile devices, according to Search Engine Land, the ramifications for this are huge,” notes this article in ValPak’s Direct Marketing Blog. “In fact, a spokesperson for Google is quoted saying that this new algorithm will ultimately impact more websites than Panda or Penguin (the names of Google’s previous algorithm updates).”
As with all of their algorithm updates, Google is not releasing specifics on the expected impacts, so don’t get caught up in that numbers game.
“The big takeaway from this is that if your site is not mobile-friendly, get to work now on it,” urges Barry Schwartz in the Search Engine Land article cited above.
“If 50% of your traffic from Google comes from mobile devices, it sounds like if you are not mobile-friendly that virtually all of that traffic from mobile is at huge risk.”
Worried about your own website? Google offers this quick Mobile Friendly Test. Plug in your own URL and wait about 30 seconds for the results. This is probably the most important thing you can do today for your business.