On April 21st Google will be updating its ranking algorithm to favour mobile friendly websites when searched from mobile devices.
What this means is, when people using a mobile phone or tablet to do web searches, websites which are designed to work well on mobile phones and tablets will be favoured in the search results, and so could rank higher up compared to a search on a desktop computer.
To put it simply, if your competitors are using mobile friendly websites, there is a greater chance they will rank higher when searched from mobile phones. A non-mobile friendly website may see visitors drop following April 21st.
Various website statistics put mobile website use between 60 to 80% in 2014.
A mobile friendly website is a website that is designed to work well on mobile phones. This mainly takes into account the smaller screen and touch screen functionality. Websites should be designed to be easily read and navigated on a mobile device. No pinch zooming and trying to click that tiny button… but a well structured, clearly readable font and well designed touch buttons to allow users to easily and quickly use a website on mobile phones.
At Amity we design and build Responsive Websites. That is, websites which automatically adjust their design for the device used. To give you an example, whilst looking at this website, resize your browser window, make it really thin to replicate a smartphone screen. You will see the site change its design and appearance to fit into the smaller screen and still make it easy to read. The menu changes to a mobile menu, which drops down to reveal the navigation on click. This is a responsive site.
It is extremely important your website is mobile friendly if you want to maintain search rankings when users search on mobile phones. Even if they are not using search to reach your site, it is still extremely important to offer the best user experience for mobile devices if you want to engage with website visitors.
But fear not, it is very unlikely you will need a new website to be responsive! Existing websites may be converted to responsive websites easily, depending on the website.
If you would like more information about this, or would like us to quote to change your site to a responsive site, please contact us.
