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Google LOVES mobile friendly

Sites that are not mobile friendly will be down-ranked, says Google

It’s not news that many of us prefer to browse the internet on our smartphones. But it is news that from April 21st, Google will down-rank your website if it’s not mobile friendly.

Why is this happening, and how can you stop your site from slipping down in search results?

Let’s have a look at the official word from Google, which is:

“As more people use mobile devices to access the internet, our algorithms have to adapt to these usage patterns… Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”

(http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html)

The statistics are there to back up this change announced by Google. Mobile users now outnumber desktop users, which means – if your website isn’t mobile friendly, then the MAJORITY of your visitors are not getting the user experience they deserve. When users search for businesses on mobile, they will now be presented with sites that are designed to suit them and their device.

In short - websites that are not mobile friendly are no longer useful search results for the majority of users. Thus, they will slip down the ranks.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Your website is a resource for your business in which you’ve invested time and money, and making it mobile-friendly is like moving your shop door from a dark alley to a high street. Who here doesn’t want to welcome in new customers?

On reading this news, the first thing we advise you do is check whether your website is responsive (mobile and tablet friendly). There are a few ways to do this:

• You can use Google’s ‘Mobile-Friendly Test’
• You can type your web address into the browser on your smartphone or tablet and see if you can see and navigate clearly on your smaller screen
• You can drag your browser window in and see if the content of your site responds to the change. Don’t know what you’re looking for? Use the Vanilla Active site as an example.

If your site doesn’t pass muster, then Vanilla Active can help. All of our websites have a contemporary design that is mobile and tablet friendly – allowing your customers and potential customers to find you online, wherever and however they choose.

This is a fantastic opportunity for your site to climb the Google rankings, without investing in expensive SEO solutions.

To find out more about Vanilla Active’s responsive design, please use the contact details on our profile– we’d love to hear from you.

Did you know…

• From April 21st this year, Google will down-rank websites that are not mobile-friendly
• 70% of mobile searches lead to an action within the hour
• 4 out of 5 consumers shop on smartphones.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vanilla Active .