Beginning April 21, 2015, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, its ranking on Google will suffer (<<< shock value). Frankly, I’m surprised it took Google this long to implement the algorithm change.
It was recently announced on the Google Webmaster Central blog that “mobile-friendliness” of sites will be expanded as a signal in their ranking algorithms. This means your phone or tablet will receive more relevant and higher quality search results.
Google also announced that they are now using information from indexed apps on your devices, for ranking when you’re signed into their services. Here’s a link to a step-by-step guide on how to get your app indexed: App Indexing for Google Search.
Why is all this important?
To quote the “U.S. Mobile App Report,” by comScore:
Mobile has swiftly risen to become the leading digital platform, with total activity on smartphones and tablets accounting for an astounding 60 percent of digital media time spent in the U.S. The fuel driving mobile’s relentless growth is primarily app usage, which alone makes up a majority of total digital media engagement at 52 percent.
If you’re like most Americans, that portable hand warmer in your pocket (that doubles as a phone and mobile internet device) is the reason Google is upgrading its search results algorithms to be more mobile-friendly. We use mobile devices everywhere, even at home when we’re not in front of a desktop or laptop computer. A Pew Research Report drives this home:
- 58% of American adults have a smartphone (90% have a cell phone of some kind)
- 42% of American adults own a tablet computer
- 67% of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls — even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating
- 44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night
- 29% of cell owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.”
That data is “as of January 2014,” so you know the current numbers are even more in favor of mobile-friendliness. Also, note that those are just “American adults,” so they aren’t including all those kiddos searching on smartphones, either.
So… what now?
We’ve written about responsive design more than a few times. If you’re not familiar with the concept of making your website work dynamically on many different screens, read more here, and here, and here.
Don’t be a schmuck. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it should be. As I’ve always recommended, look at how your users/customers/visitors see your user experience. Ask yourself if you’d be happy using your own site on a phone. If you look at your site and cringe, it might be time to update your site. Need more of a push? Find out if Google thinks your site is mobile-friendly: Try Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Need help making that move to mobile-friendliness? Reach out to me via email.
Andy Frey
Andy grew up in Michigan and is now married to an amazing and patient woman (see mad scientist stuff chronicled at StuffAndyMakes.com). Andy has logged over 2,400 skydives. He tinkers with electronics in his spare time and has built a number of semi-useful gadgets (see his website). Thankfully, motorizing one's office chair is not frowned upon at melt.