The possibility of Google taking significant action in response to the mobile-friendliness of a site has been a long time coming.
One of Google’s main objectives is to provide the best search results possible to its users. If Google stops doing this, it stops making money. People don’t go to Google because it’s pretty, or to see updates from their friends. People go to Google because they trust that it will serve them the best info on the web for their query at hand. So it makes sense that Google would want to serve people results that look and function best on the device they are using.
Search Engine Optimization is as much about design as it is about content.
Here are some things to think about:
- 95% of smartphone users have searched for local info
- Mobile searches make up 1/4 of all searches
- 1/3 of all internet traffic is mobile
- 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience.
If your site isn’t mobile-friendly then you will be losing search traffic, especially if your competitor offers a mobile-friendly site. Here are some screenshots of some of the new testing that is underway at Google:
Pretty soon, when users search for your type of business they will see whether or not you have a mobile-friendly site without having to visit it. If your site is not mobile-friendly this will cost you traffic and business.
We have all had the annoying experience of waiting for a large site that was meant for a desktop to load on our phones and then having to pinch, zoom, swipe, and wait, all to find a phone number. Whether Google is going to dock your outdated site or not, as a business owner you want to be sure you are putting your best foot forward with any potential customers. Offering them a way to find you that is easy and fast is one of the simplest ways to do that.