What is “Mobilegeddon”?

There has been a big build up and a lot of hype about what web masters are calling “mobilegeddon” – have you heard of it? Well, it hit yesterday and it’s important that business owners understand what it could do to help or hurt their business.

The fact is, Google announced weeks ago that it was making a HUGE change to it’s mobile search algorithm. In the past, you may have heard of “Panda” and “Penguin” – up until now, these were considered the biggest changes to how Google ranks websites when a user searches for something. The change today, is being said to be an even GREATER change to search and your business could be affected.

One of the things that has caught the attention of web masters, is the fact that Google announced it BEFORE it made the changes, giving website owners an opportunity to be prepared when the changes hit. It is unprecedented for Google to let the world know in advance, which only confirms how big of a deal this algorithm change is.

What is the Change?

When users search for something on a mobile device, Google will now give a priority to “mobile-friendly” sites. In other words, websites that look good on smartphones and tablets.

Why is Google Doing this?!

 

• User Experience – Google wants their users to have a great experience when they search on mobile devices. If a website is not optimized to work and function great on mobile, it will lose some value in search results
• The Facts – last year mobile searches bypassed desktop searches and it’s growing daily. Currently 70% of people that own a smartphone say they use the search feature.

 

How Does This Affect Your Business?

It’s important to understand that this doesn’t eliminate your website from mobile searches altogether. It is one – albeit a big one – factor that Google uses to rank search results.

Here are a couple of possible scenarios:

1. Your website is mobile-friendly, so it has now bumped up in the search results on Google. You are beating out your competitors that are NOT mobile-friendly. You’re getting more customers and business is great!
2. Your website is NOT mobile-friendly and you have been dropped in the search results to pages lower than you were before. Your competitors are mobile-friendly and they are getting more business. You’ve noticed a slowdown in your customers and business is starting to suffer.

How can You fix Your Website?

If your site is not mobile-optimized, don’t panic! These changes are not going to hit all at once and it’s not like your website will be lost in the search ethers! Here are some options that we offer:Our Business Optimizer will provide you with a budget-friendly, Responsive website. Your site will look good on every size device. Check it out here.

If you need a more robust option, a WordPress website may be right for you. We make sure that all of our WordPress sites are fully responsive. Check out our portfolio here.

We can help you so that your website looks modern, beautiful AND mobile-friendly!