For any business owner with an online presence – and we think that is most of them – a major update has taken place within Google that we think you should be aware of. Some are calling it “Mobilegeddon” and it is drastically altering the way that website managers need to think about their sites. If you have not heard of this update, read on to find out how it could impact you, and what you can do to make sure your business keeps up with the competition.
Your Audience has gone Mobile
Up until about a year ago, most internet searches were conducted using a desktop computer or laptop. This meant people were logging into their computers and using their web browser to not only get all of the information that they needed, but also to act on that information. With the rise of smartphones and other mobile devices though, a shift has taken place. Now, more searches are being conducted through these mobile devices, along with the majority of web browsing. Before this shift business owners only needed to worry about how their website interacted with people on a computer. Now, the way a website looks and performs through a mobile device can be the difference between making a sale or losing a customer.
To keep up with this trend, Google has made a major alteration to its algorithm. It now places a larger emphasis on those sites that not only look better on mobile devices, but also have more people interacting with the website through a mobile device. This means that sites that are more compatible for the web, both in design and in functionality, will rank higher than those sites that are behind the trend.
Your Website Should be Mobile Friendly
If your site happens to be one of the ones that is not yet optimized for the web, there are a few things that you can do to correct this. First, you will want to focus on the design. Your website should conform to the screen that it is on, or there should be a separate design for people viewing the site on a mobile device. If you did not design your site yourself, speak to your designer about making sure that your site is viewable across all platforms. After that, you want to make sure that your site works well on mobile devices. Things like having large enough buttons to click on, and making sure they are far enough apart from one another, is just one example of things that Google is going to look for. Another thing that they will look for is if people are interacting with your mobile site.
According to AccuPOS.com, “Mobile payments are part of the overall solution.” You want to make it as easy as possible for people to make a purchase through your website while they are on their mobile device, and in doing so, Google will reward you for it. Google know if your visitors convert or not, and if they don’t like your mobile billing page, they will NOT convert.
The Mobilegeddon is just beginning. As mobile device become even more prominent, they are going to take on a larger importance in the eyes of Google and other search engines. Small business can greatly benefit from new technologies, and going mobile is one of them. Take the time now to see that your website is functioning on every platform possible to set yourself up for long term success. You don’t want to miss out on sales simply because your website doesn’t look great for a customer’s mobile phone.
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