Google’s ‘MobileGeddon’ Starts Now

The time is now. In what is being called “Mobilegeddon,” Google has now launched its new algorithm to favor mobile-friendly websites in its mobile search rankings. We’ve discussed this much-anticipated update at great length, and now that the time has arrived, many people are running tests to determine which companies are meeting Google’s criteria for mobile-friendly websites and which ones are falling short.

A webpage is eligible for a “mobile-friendly” label if it meets the following general criteria:

• Doesn’t require software that is not common on mobile devices, such as Flash.
• Provides text that is easily readable without zooming.
• Sizes content to the screen so that users do not have to scroll horizontally or zoom.
• Places links far enough apart so that users can easily tap on the correct one.

While these are the general guidelines, Google is using a complicated algorithm that analyzes over 200 different factors to make this determination, so it’s important to use the company’s tools to test whether or not your webpages are considered mobile-friendly or not.

Google has provided a Mobile Friendly Test for this purpose.

Additionally, you can get a full list of mobile usability issues across your website by using Google’s Mobile Usability Report.

Why has Google launched this algorithm update?

The company explained in a statement that it is doing this because it wants consumers to “find content that’s not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens.

Certainly, we’ve all come across a website on our smartphone that was difficult to use, and it can definitely be a frustrating experience. By favoring mobile-friendly websites, the likelihood of finding easy-to-use mobile sites in Google’s search results should be greatly increased, which will make the user experience more positive.

There’s no question that the stakes are high for webmasters, companies and marketers. Almost all businesses rely on Google to send traffic to their websites, with Google controlling approximately two-thirds of the U.S. search market. According to Adam Bunn, SEO director of digital marketing agency Greenlight, the top spot on a search page typically attracts 20 percent to 30 percent of the page’s clicks. He explains that positions two-to-three typically generate 5 percent to 10 percent of the clicks, while the links below that may receive less than 1 percent of users’ attention.

For those who have not yet optimized their websites for mobile, it’s not too late to do anything. The mobile-friendly ranking algorithm works on a real-time basis, so if you alter your website now, it will be able to benefit the next time that Google crawls your pages. Of course, the longer that you wait, the more time that you’ll be lower in the search results, so it’s important to make these changes as soon as possible.

It’s also important to realize that the algorithm works on a page-by-page basis. Therefore, if some of your webpages are optimized for mobile and some are not, the pages that are mobile-friendly will still be able to benefit from the algorithm update.

Google has been warning about the importance of this algorithm change for a long time now, along with providing a number of tools to help people understand what it takes to have a mobile-friendly website. Truly, there are a multitude of reasons that you should ensure that your website is optimized for mobile. To stay competitive these days, it’s essential to provide a mobile experience that is effective, whether you are running an auto dealership or any other type of business. Check out Google’s tools now, and test whether or not your website is considered mobile-friendly. If there are any issues, it’s highly recommended that you fix them right away to avoid being penalized any further by “Mobilegeddon.”