Google mobile friendly algorithm update April 21st 2015 is your website ready?

On April 21^st 2015, Google begins rolling out the most significant mobile algorithm change to date and it is going to be a major blow to anyone operating a website that is not prepared.

The latest results are in that over 77% of web users in the US are now mobile. Google has been capitalising on mobile for some time now and it’s open source platform Android is now the largest mobile platform in the world as well as Google itself being the largest mobile search provider and offers the world’s largest mobile app store.

This change is predicted to have an even more dramatic effect than Penguin or Panda, so get ready for a very big shake up in the search engine results pages (SERPS)

Webmaster central posted on February 26^th, 2015 that the change was to be expected

“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.”

In November 2014 Google announced it’s intentions to help users find mobile friendly websites by adding labels to the mobile-friendly sites in the SERPS

Here’s an example:

So currently users have a choice if they wish to avoid the sites that are not mobile friendly, driving more traffic to websites that are labelled “Mobile Friendly”

However, the new ranking algorithm is going to change the ranking landscape so how do you figure out if your site is prepared or not?

Thankfully, it is quite straightforward to get the answer to the above question. In order to discover if your website is mobile friendly, simply type your company name in to Google search engine on your mobile phone and you will see if it has a mobile friendly label on it or not.

Alternatively – head over to Google’s Mobile Friendly test page and enter in your website url.

What the impact of this “significant” change will be is under much debate but we already know this update will be bigger than Panda or Penguin so brace yourselves for a complete readjustment in the way that mobile search functions.

So what can you do about the mobile friendly algorithm update?

1. Ensure that your website is mobile friendly, responsive websites rule.
2. Look at any mobile usability issues that may come to light by exploring your website in Google Webmaster Tools
3. Check your analytic metrics and watch them carefully after the rollout on the 21^st April 2015

If you need assistance with any of the above then consider talking to a professional web design and development agency who will be able to analyse your existing website and offer you bespoke solutions in time for the update.

Contact TR8 Media today for a free assessment of your website.

Good luck!