There are big changes coming to Google that will impact every local business.
If there’s anything business owners know about Google, it’s that change is constant.
On February 26th, Google announced via Google Webmaster Central that a new, major algorithm update would be rolling out on April 21st.
This new update is described as an expansion of their use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal (which they officially began using in June of 2013) and is intended to include “more mobile-friendly websites in search results”.
This is a huge wake-up call to businesses who are still lagging behind when it comes to making their websites mobile-friendly.
In this post, we’ll cover everything local business owners need to know about this update – what it is, how works, why it’s happening and how you can prepare your site to avoid any negative fallout from the switch.
How does Google’s mobile update work?
Google has been incredibly forthcoming in explaining how this new mobile algorithm update will roll out.
- The update will run in real-time and evaluate websites on a page-by-page basis, not site-wide. This was confirmed by Google’s Gary Illyes. This means that in the case that your site has some pages that are mobile optimized and some that are not, Google will choose the optimized versions for users on smartphones.
- The algorithm uses a pass/fail measurement. Either a page is mobile friendly, or it isn’t – there are no “degrees” of mobile friendliness.
- Google has confirmed that the update won’t impact searches made on tablets – at least, for now – so this is really more of a “Smartphone” update than a mobile one.Even so, just like https as a ranking signal, page load speeds and Google’s “top heavy” algorithm, it’s not unlikely that Google will choose to roll the impact of this update out across all devices, rewarding sites who take the time to cater to their mobile customers.
The algorithm begins rolling out on April 21st, but may take a few days to a week to roll out in its entirety.
How big will the impact be?
As of April 21st, sites that are not designed to be mobile-friendly will see a direct impact on their search rankings on mobile devices.
Importantly, Google described the impact of this upcoming algorithm change as “significant”:
“This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”
This is not a word Google uses often. In fact, since 2009, only four other algorithm updates have been described as such.
In fact, Google’s Zineb Ait Bahajji confirmed at SMX Munich that the upcoming mobile-friendly ranking algorithm will have a greater impact on Google’s search results than Google Panda and Google Penguin.
Those two updates have had enormous, longstanding effects on the search results users see every day, so it’s only fair to say that this mobile update will have a serious impact.
Why is Google making this change? Why does mobile matter so much?
This shouldn’t come as to much of a shock to anyone who has followed Google for the past few years.
As early as June of 2013, Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team, was telling audiences at major search conferences like SMX Advanced and Pubcon alike that Google was “beginning to think a lot about mobile”.
More than an emerging trend, massive mobile usage is already here. By comScore’s estimates, mobile searches account for nearly 60% of all Google searches, now outstripping desktop searches.
Research by the Global Web Index found that 80% of internet users owned a smartphone. It’s also interesting to note that Android, Google’s mobile platform, is the most installed mobile platform in the world, and Google themselves are the largest provider for mobile search, too.
But the most important argument for this change is an improvement for Google’s users. Google is in the business of trying to deliver the best, most relevant results for any given query – but they also want to ensure that their users have a good experience on the sites they land on.
By Google’s own research back in 2012:
- 67% of customers said a mobile-friendly site would make them more likely to buy
- 50% of people said that even if they liked a business, they’d use them less often if their website wasn’t mobile friendly
- Nearly 75% of users prefer a mobile-friendly site
We can only assume that since 2012, more and more users have normalized what a strong mobile experience looks and feels like, and now expect the sites they visit to cater to the context under which they’re accessing the information.
And maybe most intriguing for local businesses, Google found that 88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or visit within 24 hours, while 61% of people will leave a site that isn’t mobile friendly immediately to go to another one.
Mobile is a hugely lucrative opportunity that makes being mobile-ready all the more crucial for local businesses.
How can I check to see if Google thinks my website is mobile-friendly?
The fastest and easiest way to check if your site is currently seen as mobile friendly is to take out your smartphone Google your site. If you see a “mobile-friendly” label as part of your listing, you’re safe.
There are two other tools at your disposal as well:
- Google offers a “Mobile-Friendly” test where you can enter your sites URL and analyze issues with mobile compatibility.
- You can also consult Google’s “Mobile Usability Report” in Google Webmaster Tools, where you’ll see a page-by-page break down of any obvious issues, like buttons and other “touch elements” placed too closely together or content that isn’t sized to the mobile viewport.
- You can also check your Google Webmaster Tools account to see if you’ve been sent an email with a mobile usability warning.
What do I need to do if my site isn’t mobile friendly?
Not ready for the update? Don’t panic. There’s still time to prepare, and Google’s made it easy to understand how to get your site mobile-ready with their “Get Started” guide.
The first and most important thing you can do is to build a mobile-friendly website, or convert your existing design.
Here, you have options:
- Responsive design: Google has openly stated that they prefer responsive design (design that automatically resizes based on screen size). There are plenty of great WordPress and open source templates for building responsive websites, and a capable developer can help you convert your existing design into one that’s ready for the mobile web.
- Device-specific HTML: If for some reason responsive is not an option, “dynamic serving” will still show all of your content on the same URL as your desktop site, but will convert the design and content through the HTML or CSS of your site. This is ultimately tougher to implement.
- A mobile-specific site: It’s a bit archaic by now, but this approach still works just fine. A mobile website is simply a website that’s built on a sub-domain (like m.yoursite.com). The caveat here is that the pages of your desktop website must not all point to the home page of your mobile site – a serious no-no for Google.
The second thing to do is check the Mobile Usability Report in Google Webmaster Tools and correct any errors they’ve flagged.
Google has also listed a bunch of common mobile mistakes for webmasters to be aware of, from blocked JavaScript, CSS and image files to mobile-only 404s. If that’s all Greek to you, don’t worry. Any experienced developer will understand all of this terminology, and now, you’ve got a resource you can point them to in order to cut problems off at the pass.
Any specific tips for local businesses?
Beyond just getting a mobile-friendly website up and running, local businesses must consider the information that’s most important to customers in a mobile context.
It’s not just a matter of shrinking your existing site down to a smaller screen. Local businesses need to…
- Make contact information incredibly fast and easy to find
- Consult their analytics to find their site’s most popular pages for mobile users, and ensure these pages are easily accessible
- Reduce the volume of content a customer will need to wade through to find important action items (hours of operation, menus, reviews, pricing)
- Consider putting current promotions front-and-center on critical pages to secure that customers’ business
Don’t wait – prepare now!
Google has given every local business plenty of warning on this one. We know the impact is huge – both in search rankings and for customers. And with so many options for small businesses, getting mobile-ready has never been easier.
Make mobile-friendliness your top web priority for April, and make sure you’re ready to compete with the best of them!
