Imagine getting a lot of traffic from a keyword in the mobile search results on Google and then this traffic is suddenly obliterated, vanishing into thin air, destroying your enquiries and sales along with it... Your mobile rankings get wiped out completely off the face of the earth, just like the dinosaurs did millions and millions of years ago! This could potentially cause devastation to your business, affecting your bottom line. Is this something you want to happen? Is it something you were even anticipating?
We recently posted an article on our blog last month titled, “ Are Google Getting Ready To Launch A New Mobile Based Algorithm – What Do You Need To Do? " This article anticipated the release of a new mobile based Google Algorithm after the search engine had started sending out notifications to webmasters about mobile usability issues on their websites. Since then, a worldwide release date has now been confirmed for this algorithm.
21st April is the official date the mobile algorithm rolls out. “The Mobile Apocalypse” is fast approaching. Make sure you adapt the essential elements of your site to ensure you survive this “Doomsday” and withstand the potential decimation of your mobile rankings!
From what we know, the new algorithm will only affect mobile search results. This may not seem like much, but if your site gets a lot of traffic from mobile devices then that could well end up being non existent after this date. For many businesses out there today, mobile compliance is not optional, it is compulsory. At SMX West this month, it was reported that mobile searches currently makes up about 30% of total traffic on the internet, regardless of the niche you are in. Even if making your website mobile friendly won't have a big affect in the short term, it certainly will in the long term and is a worthwhile and much needed investment.
In addition to this, Google themselves have even stated at SMX Munich that this upcoming mobile algorithm will have a greater impact on search results than the previous Panda and Penguin updates have.
Continue reading the article below to find out what you need to do in order to survive “The Mobile Apocalypse” and come out stronger than ever before
The first thing you need to do is actually find out whether your site is in danger of being penalised or not. There are a number of ways that you can find this out.
Any Webmaster Notifications
If Google has sent you a notification in Webmaster Tools or an email asking you to fix mobile usability issues on your site then this is a sure sign you are in danger if you don't get it resolved.
Use Google's Mobile Friendly Checker Tool
If you don't have any Webmaster Tools notifications or emails from Google, your site still might be vulnerable. To double check this, go to https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly, enter your website URL and hit analyze. If your site isn't mobile friendly this tool will tell you and it will point out some issues that need fixing. Please see the example image below...
Check the site yourself on a mobile device
The third and final thing to have a look at to ensure your site is safe from being affected by “The Mobile Apocalypse” is to just have a look around the site on a mobile device and tablet for yourself. All you need to do is have a browse around the site making sure that everything is user friendly. If you need to do a lot of scrolling or zooming to read content etc. then it isn't.
If you have noticed from the above steps that your website is not mobile friendly then you need to get it fixed so you don't receive an algorithmic penalty from and lose your mobile rankings. To do this, give your website hosting provider a call and ask them to either create you a mobile site or make your current site mobile responsive or adaptive. Find out what's better for your business by reading this article at – Mobile Websites - Responsive Vs Adaptive
As long as you follow the steps above and ensure your website is mobile friendly then you will still be standing strong in the mobile search results after this algorithmic apocalypse on April 21st.