Earlier this year Google announced a change to its search engine algorithm, primarily concerning how mobile friendly websites are ranked. We look at the changes, and how to check whether your website is mobile-friendly.
What does it all mean? Does it affect me?
Earlier this year Google announced a change to its search engine algorithm, primarily concerning how mobile friendly websites are ranked. The new change will take place on April 21st, 2015.
This update will see websites with a mobile-friendly design rank higher in search results, but only for searches conducted on mobile.
A mobile friendly website scales down appropriately from a desktop-sized screen to suit smaller mobile and tablet resolutions.
The recent change is only concerned with mobile devices. When a user searches Google on a mobile or tablet, websites with a
mobile-friendly design will rank higher. Desktop searches aren't affected by the change.
If your website views are comprised of a moderate to large amount of mobile traffic, we believe you'll likely see the effects of this update.
If you already have a mobile-friendly website you'll hopefully see an increase in traffic due to the higher ranking on mobile devices. If you don't have a mobile site, it's worth keeping an eye on your traffic as there may be a negative effect caused by the update.
Usage statistics
Depending on your scenario, it's normally quite easy to determine the amount of mobile-based traffic on your website.
Open Google Analytics if you have linked it to your website, or if you're using Oncord you can click the "Analytics" tab
from your website dashboard menu.
Doing a quick check of your mobile website is easy, and it doesn't require any web developer know-how.
Click here to test your website mobile compatibility now
Google will let you know whether your site adheres to their basic guidelines, and any major flaws in your mobile site will be pointed out. You can also check webmaster tools for a more thorough analysis of your mobile site.
Every passing month as mobile usage rises there are more reasons to go mobile, and this SEO update provides yet another arguing point as to why you should at least consider mobile.
The question I'm sure you're asking: Is it worth the investment?
In most circumstances yes, it's worthwhile. Two years ago it may not have been general advice, but in most cases these days it's worth the investment to go mobile.
The costs involved in going mobile depend entirely on your situation and the complexity of your website. Altering custom-built templates or eCommerce websites is generally more complex than a basic brochure website.
As a very rough idea, hiring an Aussie agency to make your current website mobile friendly ranges from $600 - $2,800, but can certainly be more or less depending on the complexity of your situation, and the quality of work.
The shelf life of a website design these days is around 2 years. It's worthwhile investigating the move to mobile as part of a complete website redesign, rather than basing a mobile design on an existing outdated website.
Subscribe to stay up-to-date with new features and announcements.
We recently celebrated the launch of a new UK hosting cluster, improving performance for Oncord clients based around the United Kingdom. It's now easier than ever to filter Contacts and other data throughout Oncord thanks to an overhaul of the "Filter by Conditions" system. We've introduced a new Status Page to monitor service status, and deployed plenty of improvements to help Oncord Commerce clients improve how they sell online.
Read More
It's only a website - there’s not a lot that can go wrong from a legal perspective right? We spoke with intellectual property and technology law experts, Dundas Lawyers about websites, copyright, and ensuring you don’t run into trouble.
Read More
The latest Oncord update includes the addition of drag-and-drop rotators and banners, a Domain Health Checker to enhance email deliverability, the ability to bulk remove contacts from groups, and integration with Eventbrite for streamlined event management. Additionally, our events RSVP system has been improved, and we've added new notification options and automations for recurring sales.
Read More
Try a Demo, or Speak With a Consultant
Leave a Comment