Embracing Google’s Mobile Update

As you might have heard recently, the guys over at Google have caused quite a stir with the recent news that they’re going to be changing things up a bit when it comes to their search algorithm –  but what does it all mean for us on the business side of things?

Going the Extra Mile
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, back-end coding side of things, you have to understand that Google have one single priority, and that’s user experience. Obviously, you don’t get to be the most widely used search engine in the world without prioritising the needs of your users, which is what Google aims to do with each and every update they release. As you might have read in our Web Trends of 2015 article, the amount of users who access the internet via mobile devices looks to be continually increasing at a steady rate. Thus, Google’s most recent update aims to factor their needs into the search algorithm, shaking up the ‘natural’ order of things.

As of the 21st of April, Google will begin to afford its highest natural search positions to dedicated mobile websites, thus making it easier for users searching on their smart-phones or tablets to find the content or services they’re looking for. What this basically means is that if you haven’t already invested in a mobile website, then it’s probably time to start looking into one.

The Low Down on Mobile
Businesses need to be careful however, as it’s difficult to know whether your site is definable as mobile friendly or not. The majority of contemporary websites feature what we call responsive web design, which basically means that their features dynamically adjust to the size of the browser they’re being viewed on. In a lot of cases this works just fine for mobile users; the text and images on your page appear as though they’ve been deliberately sized to accommodate the proportions of a mobile or tablet’s rectangular screen. This means your information is easy for the user to access and read – so everyone’s happy right?
Wrong. Websites that have been specifically optimised for mobile incorporate a number of features that facilitate easy navigation and exploration. The best mobile web designs closely resemble the structure of apps, in that everything flows vertically, rather than relying on the ‘top-bottom, left-right’ layout of conventional sites. They also omit a number of features, like Flash content and ‘hover over’ sections that simply aren’t compatible with mobile devices.

In order to test how mobile friendly your site is in the eyes of the all-powerful Google masters, input your URL here. This should give you a good idea of how well it will fare when the search algorithm update lands.

Increase Your Mobility
If you haven’t done so already, we really can’t stress the value of investing in a mobile website enough, especially owing to the impending changes from Google. Mobile websites don’t only open your services up to new demographics, they integrate a lot better with your social media channels, and make the overall process of conversion much simpler. Whilst the initial outlay involved in developing a mobile website might be daunting, its overall effect on your bottom line could produce a considerable ROI in the future.

Please email [email protected] to learn more about mobile websites, or discuss developing one with our professional web design agency.