Quick Note: Mobilegeddon is a name given by web developers to Google’s algorithm update back in April 2015. This update gave priority to websites that were responsive to mobile devices.
Apri 21st, 2015 – it began as a seemingly normal spring day. It unfolded as it always had, bright and promising, with many unsuspecting websites carrying about their normal tasks. Their static coding seemed to still generate leads. Mobilegeddon, what a hoax! Things are working! Why fix what isn’t broken?
Though things appeared to be normal, something had changed. Google changed its algorithm, giving priority to websites that were responsive to mobile devices. Due to this shift, Google users performing a search are first shown websites that are responsive to non-desktop devices.
So you might still be thinking, “Okay, what is the big deal?”
Google is, by far, the most used search engine. Compared to other search engines, such as Bing or Yahoo, Google averages about 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year. According to an article by Search Engine Land, Google has acquired about two-thirds of organic searches, as compared to Bing that has only acquired about one-third. Furthermore, consider the fact that 60% of mobile traffic is now being done through a mobile device. This growing number, according to analysts, appears to not be slowing down either, especially when you consider the smart device habits of post-Baby Boomer generations.
The digital landscape is changing, however, is your current website meeting the constantly evolving standards of search engines, such as Google or Bing? According to Google a mobile-friendly site must do the following:
- Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
- Uses text that is readable, without zooming
- Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
- Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped
In order to verify if your website is meeting these standards, here are a few helpful tools:
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your website’s responsive layout
- Identify mobile usability issues across your website by utilizing Google Webmaster tools
- Utilize Google’s How-to-Guide for Content Management Systems like WordPress or Joomla.
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