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The new Google algorithm update is rolling out tomorrow – are you ready?

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The latest Google algorithm update is scheduled to take place tomorrow, the 21st of April 2015. What are the implications for your website, and what can you do to be prepared?

Google is about to change the way it categorizes websites in its search to favour mobile friendly sites.  This is hardly a surprise, with nearly 75% of content being accessed via mobile devices.

What must you know about this algorithm update and how will it affect your website’s position on the popular search engine?

Bloggers and columnists are calling Google’s latest algorithm update “Mobilegeddon”, implying that it will have dire consequences for websites not adapted to hand held devices.   This doesn’t mean that if your website is not mobile friendly, Google will remove it from the search results all together.  But it does mean that it will prefer other websites that are better adapted to mobile devices in the search ranking.  And we all know that the difference between being on the 1st or 2nd results page can be the difference between being seen or not at all.

So how can you make sure your website is ready for Google’s algorithm update, scheduled to take place tomorrow?

1. Create a mobile website

There are different ways of doing this, and the path you choose will depend on the nature of your website, your business goals for each platform, as well as your customers’ expectations.

A separate mobile site – In the past, developers created a different site for every platform, and the reader would be redirected automatically to a certain version based on which device they were accessing it from. This might still be a good option if you believe the customer journey is vastly different when surfing from different platforms and would like to create vastly different functionalities for each platform.

Responsive design – This option offers an elegant solution, adjusting your website to the different screen resolutions. The advantages being that you don’t have to rethink and rebuild your entire website for each platform, and there is also much to be said for the uniformity your customer will see when browsing from different devices. The pages and internal layout will remain the same, which also makes analysis and reporting easier. However, it does not allow for much functionality differences between devices, and it must be done well to ensure the website looks great on all different screen sizes.

If your website is not yet mobile friendly, we know this isn’t doable in a day.  However, if you haven’t already started, it might be wise to start thinking of going along this route. It appears mobile devices are only gaining in popularity, and the shift in content usage to these devices should be urging you to make sure your business is there.

2. Check that your website is displayed correctly

There might be some simple changes that can be made on your existing website to ensure it looks better, loads quicker and in general adapts better  to hand held devices. Have a sit down with your mobile in hand and your developer nearby, and see if there are any quick fixes. For example, resizing an image or restructuring a headline might make your website more aesthetically pleasing. Even if this step doesn’t make much of a difference SEO-wise, it could make all the different to your readers.

3. If you have an Android / IOS app, make sure to link to it

SEO is no longer just about websites.  Google scans the content from deep-linked apps the user has already downloaded in ranking for personalized search results.  In the future, this could potentially expand to apps not yet installed. Apps usually give customers added value and functionality. They are especially programmed for mobile use and it is always a good idea to feature these in a prominent location.

4. As opposed to popular opinion – in the world of mobile websites, less is not always more

People read content on their mobile in a different way than on a PC.  But this doesn’t always mean that they have less time or would like to receive less information.  More and more readers are accessing websites on their mobile phones from home, making the common conception that mobile users are “on the go” and short on time irrelevant.  The smaller screen simply means that the reader can take in less information at a time.  Therefore, mobile users “dig deep” in a targeted way, wanting and expecting to reach the desired information quickly and easily.  If you are thinking of creating or redesigning your mobile website, it might be a good idea to create a simple, clean homepage with a few relevant links for further information, and then unravel the rest of your content from those few inner pages. The way that you organize your website’s content makes even more of a difference on the mobile.

Google’s algorithm update can be viewed as a final wake up call for businesses that haven’t yet decided on their mobile strategy.  If your readers’ content consuming trends haven’t convinced you, maybe Google will.  Mobile friendly websites have gone from luxury to necessity as more and more information is accessed, decisions taken and purchases made via mobile.  Think of this as a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge in the right direction.  It will be worth the effort.

Not sure where to start? Conveniently, Google has provided a link where you can test your website’s mobile-friendliness.
Insert your website’s URL and you will get immediate feedback on how mobile friendly your website is, as well as some basic suggestions on how to improve it.

How did your website do? We’ll be happy to discuss the results with you, click below to contact us for more details.

This post was written by Sahar Dolev-Blitental, Marketing Executive.  Sahar has over 10 years of experience in marketing and advertising, with a special passion for digital marketing. 

The post The new Google algorithm update is rolling out tomorrow – are you ready? appeared first on Pedalo.


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