Jack Barber / Website Design

Google Penalising Non-Mobile-Friendly Websites

On April 21st 2015 Google made some changes to the way it ranks websites. This kind of change to Google's algorithms occur quite frequently, as Google seeks to refine they way it provides search results.

Usually these changes go mostly unnoticed - announced on Google's Webmaster Blog but usually not getting much further.

In this instance though there has been a lot of interest in Google's new search algorithm. Why?

Because now, mobile-friendly websites are being prioritised over those which aren't for searches made on mobile devices.

Is your site mobile friendly?

What does this mean for users?

In plain English, this means that when you search for something using Google on your phone or tablet, Google will prioritise mobile-friendly search results.

What does this mean for website owners?

It means that if your website is not mobile-friendly it is highly likely that you are going to see a drop in traffic from mobile devices.

So it's only affecting mobile - should I be worried?

In general, yes. Although you may not use the internet on your phone or a tablet computer, much of the world now is. Mobile traffic accounts for well over half of internet traffic globally and is increasing all the time.

If your website is not mobile-friendly, potential customers searching for your products or services from their phone or tablet will be shown mobile-friendly competitor websites before yours.

Other ranking factors still apply

Of course, other ranking factors still apply. So if Google still sees your site as the definitive result for a certain term you're still likely to appear in a favourable position despite not catering well for mobile devices. So don't panic!

What can you do about it?

Probably the easiest thing to do is call me on 01947 878108 and ask me to take a look at your site. I'll give you a free and no-obligation appraisal of your website, suggesting things which could be done to make it more mobile-friendly and better in general.

If you want to test your website's mobile-friendliness, visit this page and use the tools provided.