Are you ready for Google's new algorithm?
Google is due to release a new algorithm on 21st April 2015 which will assess whether a website is mobile friendly. Google have advised that the algorithm may take up to a week to roll out globally.
Searchengineland state that it will have a significantly larger impact than previous Panda and Penguin algorithms.
Why have Google decided to release the mobile friendly algorithm?
Mobile is progressively becoming a much more dominant source of traffic used to access the internet and browse websites. Google have acknowledged this trend and are now taking it upon themselves to ensure a quality user experience across mobile devices.
If you are a webmaster you may have already noticed a significant increase in the number of alerts generated via Webmaster Tools regarding mobile usability issues, which is merely the start of the big push to optimise websites for mobile users.
Now is the time to consider the accessibility and functionality of your (or your clients) website in line with mobile. With the rise of mobile usage and online access there is a notable shift in the market. Smart Phones are now taking front and centre stage in terms of first screen with the amount of time spent on mobile far outweighing time spent watching TV. This provides a higher likelihood that users will use mobile as a first screen to access the internet, in a world where multi-screen is becoming a popular habit.
How can you make your website mobile friendly?
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Consider responsive design.
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Analyse the distance between links, tabs and buttons (finger room) so that users don't run the risk of selecting the wrong option or selecting more than one link at the same time.
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Set image widths to 100% to ensure they are automatically resized.
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Set input to 100% to ensure they automatically resize on mobile.
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Use video-embedding that’s playable on all devices.
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Use HTML5 standards for animations.
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If using separate URL's for mobile devices make sure that the correct redirect is put in place (e.g. m.testsite.com).
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If you promote an app download on your website, do this by using an HTML banner.
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Review site loading speed on mobile to reduce chances of "buffer face"
Google have also released a new label which helps to clearly identify websites that are classed as mobile friendly to mobile users. This could result in mobile users shying away from any site that doesn't display this label, therefore reducing the click through rate on websites that are not optimised for mobile.
If you haven't yet considered mobile optimisation, now is the time.
Visit http://bit.ly/1vmcUtU to find out if your website is mobile friendly.
If you are interested in optimising your website in line with the new mobile friendly algorithm contact us at [email protected] or call +44 (0) 1481 740073.
