Latest Google Update Rocks Mobile Search Results
One week ago, on Tuesday the 21st of April, Google rolled out its latest algorithm update targetting websites that aren’t optimized properly for mobile. This is the first time in the history of the search engine that mobile optimization has been used as a ranking factor. Fortunately for many, news of the update was released far enough in advance that site owners could prepare if they weren’t already mobile friendly.
For a change, Google was incredibly forthcoming with information regarding the update and even released guidelines to demonstrate best practices. These guidelines have helped countless businesses avoid a penalty in this past week. If your site has suffered then it’s certainly not too late to bring it up to code.
If you are confused by this recent update then here are a few things to keep in mind.
First of all, this algorithm change will only affect searches conducted from a mobile device. If your website doesn’t adhere to the new guidelines then it will not be penalized during searches made from a desktop device. However, when we consider that more than 50% of searches are now conducted from mobile devices, this is a sizeable amount of traffic that you don’t want to miss out on. Deeper statistics prove that approximately half of searches conducted from a mobile device will lead lead to a purchase. Making it all the more important that you bring your a-game.
Secondly, if you are unsure whether your website is already optimized for mobile then you can check with Google’s mobile friendly test. Simply enter your URL into the box and the test will determine if you are going to be penalised by this update. If so, then you will be presented with reasons why. You will then know what needs to be changed!
Another thing to bear in mind before you panic over the structure of your site is that it is judged on a page by page basis. The poor performance of one page will not affect the site on the whole. However, this does mean that you need to pay careful attention to each page to ensure that you are not missing out on any potential traffic. This also means that if you know certain pages on your site receive more traffic than others, then you can dedicate your time and effort to these pages first.
Although this update was rolled out slowly around the world, it should now be in full effect in every country. So now is the time to check your mobile rankings to determine if a problem has occured. If you find you have been negatively affected then there is abslolutely no reason why you can’t fully recover and even improve your position in the search results. If you are unsure of how to do this yourself or feel that your current SEO agency isn’t yielding the best results, then get in touch with us today and secure your success in the search results!
By Alix Jones
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