What is this big Google mobile update? Thereâs a simple Google update on the horizon which is causing everyone in the SEO/ Digital Marketing world to freak the hell out. News articles, blog posts and forum comments akin to someone screaming âwonât someone please think of the children?!â are popping up left, right and certain all over the web.
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What is this big Google mobile update?
Thereâs a simple Google update on the horizon which is causing everyone in the SEO/ Digital Marketing world to freak the hell out. News articles, blog posts and forum comments akin to someone screaming âwonât someone please think of the children?!â are popping up left, right and certain all over the web. Some sites are even referring to it Mobilegeddon.
Itâs the Google Mobile Update taking place on April 21st (this time next week at time of writing) and it will be be trawling all over the internet to find out which sites work well on anyoneâs phone screens, and which are as out-dated at Snake on a Nokia 3310.
So should you be freaking out and throwing your phone out the window in horror? Well, no!
Here at Boyd Digital our big reaction to this monumental change was something like this:
âSo are our sites mobile friendly?â
âYes. We blogged about this months ago and told everyone to update accordingly.â
âOk, Cool.â
For those who arenât quick to the beat and might know anything about this change, DONâT PANIC! Boyd Digital has you covered. In this blog post weâll be telling you the what, why, how, where and when of this update so you donât have to worry any longer.
So what is this update everyone is going on about?
The Google mobile algorithm update on April 21st is simply a new addition to the huge number of factors the engine uses to decide how it ranks sites. This one has everyone in a tizzy because it is focussed solely on mobile.
And why exactly is it important?
Well everyone uses their phones more these days, but it helps not to think of of them as phones. Theyâre mobile computers we have on us at all times. And because we spend A LOT of time using them, be it on social apps or searching for a nice new pair of shoes, we do plenty of searching on it too.
The reason itâs an important update is because websites that arenât responsive or easy to use on mobile are incredibly frustrating and annoying to use. Bounce rates for sites on mobile are high, and Google is using a simple method to test whether your site is a reason why the mobile user experience isnât going as well as you and they want it to be.
This update will look at websites on a page by page basis and evaluate how well a site works when used on a phone or tablet.
How can I tell if my site is mobile friendly?
Take the test. We reckon Google must be giddily rubbing their hands while watching the traffic for this mobile test site skyrocket over the last week. Itâs the quickest way of seeing how your site is doing, where itâs doing well and what quick fixes you can inform the person of charge of running your site about to make it more mobile friendly.
All you do is enter your site URL and hey presto you get a calculated score letting you know whatâs potentially going to harm the mobile siteâs chances of ranking well over the next few months.
Who will be affected by the update?
Every site under the sun is quietly being lined up and forced through inspection. When the update begins next week, Google is going to be looking at any site no matter what it does or who itâs aimed at.
For example, a big site like McDonalds is seen by Google as not ready for the update
While a site like KFCâs currently works much better on a mobile device.
Right now the Colonel is doing much better than Ronald on mobile. And notice how in the second picture how KFCâs cookie policy is clearly presented and has spacing in the text to make it incredibly easy to read. This update isnât about creating a complete overhaul for your site. Itâs simply the case of making it easier to look at something on your mobile.
Where will this update happen?
Fleetwood Mac would be very excited about this update because itâs happening everywhere. So sites here in Scotland, over in Norway, or even down in Yemen will all be getting tested to see how all sites perform, no matter what language the site is in.
Because the test is essentially testing things like the space and size of buttons and text on mobile sites, it makes it an easier thing to judge than say the language of Meta data or significance of Schema mark-up.
And is there anything else I should know?
Yes. There is a very simple point to remember. Optimising your site for mobile wonât see an up shoot in conversions on mobile, but will simply help maintain a consistent user experience across a number of devices. While people do use their phones a lot more to search, many still donât purchase items.
Instead, a user generally searches a specific terms (like a pair of shoes) on their phone when commuting home, finds an optimised site with the information and product they want, and then will usually wait until theyâre home in front of their laptop to brand search the site they were on and make a purchase that way.
Mobile optimisation isnât the be all and end all for your site, but come April 21st, it will be a bigger factor than before and thatâs something your site should be on top of. This year is most definitely the year of mobile, and you can read more about that on the Boyd Digital blog by clicking here.
And if youâre wondering if your site is good enough for this update by having us look a it, use the contact form below this blog post to get in touch.