IS IT “GOOGLE MOBILEGEDDON!” …OR… JUST A MOBILE-FRIENDLY UPDATE?

Today, April 21, 2015, is the day that Google flips the switch on its forecasted “Mobile-Friendly Update.”  Today marks the official roll-out of a new Google algorithm update designed to make search results on smart phones, bring mobile-friendly websites to the top of the heap.

This mobile-friendly Google algorithm update has been dubbed by many across the Web as “Mobilegeddon.”

Just ‘Google’ the phrase “Mobilegeddon” and you will quickly discover that there is no shortage of articles from experts offering businesses advice on how to spring into action to save one’s website rankings from certain doom.

So what will change as a result of this Google Mobile-Friendly Update?

Effective today, when someone performs a Google search using a smart phone, the search results will give preference to websites that are mobile-friendly, over websites that are not mobile-friendly. Google has stated this algorithm update will impact searches in all languages from all around the world.

How much will the Google Mobile-Friendly Update really impact your website’s traffic?

The first thing to keep in mind is that the algorithm update only impacts searches on smart phones. Search results for searches conducted on tablets, laptops and desktop computers will not be impacted by the algorithm change.

So if your website doesn’t get a lot of traffic from smartphones to begin with, there will be little-to-no impact on your website’s traffic as a result of the update.

The question on the minds of many website owners and webmasters is … “How much will Google’s mobile-friendly algo update really impact MY website’s traffic?”

That’s a very good question, and the answer is, “it depends,” and many should seriously consider finding out the answer.  Certain types of businesses should indeed make their websites mobile-friendly if they aren’t already.  Should you?

Here’s the “depends” part: If your website’s bread-and-butter is local search traffic from consumers who are trying to find your shop, office or restaurant using smart phones, then you should definitely make sure that your website is mobile-compatible. If it isn’t, you should take steps to make it so.

If your website does not fit that bill, and if it does not get much traffic from smartphones, then there is no need to panic. Many agencies are using fear-mongering tactics in order to convince businesses to purchase a “mobile-friendly update” of their websites, or even have their websites completely re-done. We are not one of those agencies.

We say “Relax – don’t panic.”  IF you need mobile-friendly solutions, we are here for you. We can quickly help you find out if you need mobile-friendly solutions. We will be honest and tell you if you don’t need mobile-friendly solutions. If you do need solutions, we can quickly put them in place.

If you want to make your website mobile-friendlier, or if you want a new website, then please call upon us. We have been building websites for about 20 years, and we have been making websites mobile-friendly since mobile-surfing became popular.

If you are apprehensive about your website and today’s Google algorithm update, we have a solution to calm your nerves:

We are offering a special “Mobile-Compatibility/Smart Phone Traffic Report” – created just for your website – so that you can discover the answers to these burning questions:

1. “How much smart phone traffic does my website receive?”
2. “How mobile-friendly is my website?”

If you would like to receive this special report, please let us know – we’re happy to help!  Email info@netsitemarketing.com or call 828-684-4445 Ext. 1

Even if you don’t depend on mobile traffic at present, it is a quickly-growing avenue for gaining new leads. Google recognizes that the number of mobile searches is steadily increasing – hence the algorithm update. If you want to capitalize on this growing market, you will need to eventually make your website mobile-friendly. We are an advanced SEO agency, and we can optimize your website to make it very mobile-friendly.

According to a January 2015 report from Smart Insights, 80% of Internet users reported using a smartphone to perform searches online.

With the growing popularity of mobile technology, it is easy to see why so many businesses are paying close attention to Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm update and the impact it will have on their rankings (and traffic) in mobile search results. If you like techno-stuff you may enjoy reviewing Google’s Mobile SEO Best Practices for developers.

If you already have a mobile-compatible website, and want some advanced tips on how to improve user experience and take your website to the next level of optimization, we recommend reading this Search Engine Land article: The Advanced SEO’s Guide To Mobilegeddon.

It’s important to remember that just having a fast, mobile-friendly website will not be enough to rank well on mobile search. Google’s algorithm will still take into account other ranking factors in addition to a website’s mobile-friendliness.

Factors like domain authority/trust, backlink quality/quantity, content quality/quantity, and over 200 other factors, will continue to play important roles in determining a website’s search engine positions. We are the experts in getting websites ranking high in search engines. We’ve been here since before Google.com was born. You can count on us.