Websites that work effectively on mobile devices have long since been of interest to Google, and it’s not surprising.
E Marketer.com reported that by 2014, 1.75 billion people worldwide would have access to smartphones, and this is a figure that has undoubedtly grown since then. On top of this, it was reported that 51% of visits to retailers websites are done on mobile devices by Mobile Commerce Daily in 2014, so it’s little wonder that Google is paying so much attention to using the internet via this format.
In fact, they’re so interested, that as of April 21st, Google have officially declared that whether a website is ‘mobile friendly’ or not will affect how well your website ranks on its search engine, when searched from a mobile device.
Google stated the following in its blog post from yesterday: ‘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. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.’
It then go on to provide some advice and guidance to those who will be hoping to make their website more mobile friendly in order to continue to rank well, or improve their rankings overall.
But how can you ensure your website is mobile friendly?
We have previously posted on the importance of mobile optimisation here, but for the sake of this blog, we’re going to give a quick rundown on how to improve the ranking of your website on Google when these changes come in to place.
1. Make use of the Google mobile friendly test
Google haven’t just introduced new rules and left everyone scrambling around to figure it out for themselves. Instead, it has created a piece of software that will help you to see how your website currently performs in terms of mobile friendliness.
One you see how your current website performs, you can then consider how you’re going to improve it, if necessary.
2. Make sure your website is fast
Users won’t stick around for long if your website is taking a while to load on their mobile device, so ensure it loads quick to avoid a high bounce rate.
3. Speak to your website provider
If you outsource your website design to someone else, then make sure you contact them prior to this update.
By taking control of the situation before the new system comes into place, you can ensure that your website doesn’t fall to one side on mobile devices.
4. Create a mobile optimised website
Another way to ensure your website will rank well on mobile devices is by providing a website platform specifically for that medium. There are a range of companies that specialise in helping you do this, but as mentioned earlier, contacting your website provider if it is outsourced will allow you to do this quickly and efficiently.
5. Ensure your website is user friendly
Your website should be user friendly anyway, but it needs to be even more so if you’re hoping for people to use it on a mobile device. We’re talking about making sure the content is easy to read and wraps around the page, as well as ensuring your website is easy, and quick, to navigate around.
People access the internet on these devices because it’s easier than loading up a computer and they want a quick response. If your website can’t give them that – they won’t stick around for long.
So there you have it, a few key points to consider if you’re hoping to rank well on mobile devices when Google’s new rules come into place.
However, if you’re interested in optimising your website so it can effectively be used on mobile devices, then get in touch with Neil Walker Digital Group today.
We specialising in creating websites, as well as content marketing and social media services – so we know a thing or two about the importance of an effective mobile-optimised website.
Give us a call on 07816897301 to find out more today.
