Many advertisers have decided to hold off on mobile optimization of their websites, for a variety of reasons. Although marketers were aware of Google’s reminders that mobile-friendliness was important for user experience and SEO, it was relatively unknown exactly how important it was or the impact it could have on rankings. That is, until now.
In a recent Google announcement, as well as subsequent email reminders many advertisers have received from Google, the day of Mobile is coming – April 21, 2015 to be exact. On this day, there will be a major search algorithm update which will impact mobile search results in all languages and locations globally. There are two, relatively simple but powerful goals for this update:
- More mobile-friendly websites listed in search results
- More relevant app content listed in search results
Google did say when they announced the mobile-friendly ranking algorithm that this would have a “significant impact” on the mobile search results. This is key, it is only impacting the mobile results. However, a significant portion of search queries are conducted from mobile devices. Therefore, this update could have more of an impact than Panda or Penguin (previous, well-known Google algorithm updates).
So, that raises the question “Is your website mobile friendly, according to Google?” Although we don’t have complete transparency into how this update will exactly impact mobile search results or specific websites, it is clear that those who optimize for mobile will have better visibility on Google. Mobile apps will also play a part in this Google update. My colleague, Matt Crowley, recently highlighted some tips to help index Mobile Apps, as shared on our blog.
A sound mobile strategy is more critical than ever; below are considerations to get started. The time is now!
