Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Update

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Google Announce Mobile Friendly Algorithm Update

Google is releasing a mobile-friendly algorithm update on April 21st. From this date onward Google will be using mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor in smartphone search results. Many industry experts have predicted this update will impact more websites than previous Panda and Penguin algorithm updates.

The mobile-friendly algorithm update will only impact mobile search results. Note that search results on personnel computers will not be affected. This update is significant as there has been year on year growth for the amount of users searching for products or services using mobile devices. Many websites rely heavily on mobile search to direct traffic to their website.

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After 21st April, if your website is not mobile-friendly you can expect a percentage of your current website traffic to be at risk.  

To check if your website is mobile-friendly, you can run a mobile-friendly test to analyse your design. Alternatively you can Google search for your website on a mobile device and if Google recognises your website as being mobile friendly, a grey mobile friendly label will appear in your description snippet.

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Mobile-Friendliness And Your Website

If your website design is already mobile-friendly, no immediate actions are required. It is possible that your website rank will improve across mobile devices should a competitor lose rank as a result of this update.

If your website is not mobile-friendly we strongly recommend going responsive as soon as possible. Regardless of what percentage of your website traffic comes from mobile, it is important that you do not lose any traffic to a competitor website.

Failure to comply with this algorithm update may result in a loss of traffic to your website which can lead to more serious implications for your business.

Note that this algorithm runs in real time, this means that Google will pick up on your website once it has been made mobile-friendly, even if you update your website after the algorithm release date.

What to Expect on April 21st

This update to the Google algorithm will take up to a week to be implemented globally. Google have also noted that there is no compromise with this update, websites are either considered mobile friendly or they are not. We strongly recommend testing your website using one of the methods mentioned above and taking the required action as soon as possible.

Also, if you are currently running AdWords campaigns  and targeting mobile, it is important to ensure that your ads are optimised for mobile devices.

If you have any concerns about this update please do leave a comment below or email us on info@searchscientist.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help.

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