“Mobilegeddon” is coming April 21. Get your site’s mobile SEO ready now.
Every few years, Google releases a major algorithm update that has a dramatic effect on how your site appears in a search engine results page (SERPs). Recently, Google announced a new algorithm update focused on mobile search:
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. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.
What does this all mean? If your site is not optimized for mobile devices, you will lose out in search results to your competitors that are mobile-friendly. One nuance of the update is that it is on a page-by-page basis. For example, if your home page is mobile-friendly but other pages are not, you will be penalized in SERPs. You can verify your mobile status with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool, and get more granular data on any issues your site is having with Google Webmaster Tool’s Mobile Usability Report.
The folks over at Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch, and Moz have all done great write-ups on the pending update, full of great tactical advice on how you can prepare for the change. Marketing TechBlog has also put together a nice guide on mobile SEO in infographic format. If you are concerned about your site’s mobile SEO and how you can be prepared for the Google algorithm update April 2015, feel free to get in touch with us.