What is April 21st? Is the sky falling? Nope, it is another skyfall from Google known as the Google Mice Update.
Google actually took time to announce their plans for the ‘mice’ update. Google doesn’t normally announce what will affect ranking, but since this roll out was such a different twist on what they usually do, I guess they decided to be nice for mice.
The basics of the Google Mice update: on April 21, they will begin delisting websites who are not mobile-friendly. These delistings will happen on mobile search specifically and may affect the rankings of your overall website.
Mobile usage is important as you can tell by this graphic which shows that there is a change in consumer behavior. As our phones become smarter and more integral in our our lives, we are becoming accustom to using them to scout out new businesses.
While it is important to realize that mobile sites are important, especially considering that statistics show us that about 50% of web search is coming from mobile, this is not the end of all ends for your business website if it is not mobile. There are things you can do right now to help you get your website where it needs to be.
Yes, your non-mobile site will be delisted from mobile searches, but it looks like your ‘Google Local’ listing will not be affected. Have you taken time to make sure your Google local listing is set up to maximize search results? If not, do it now. Just give us a call and we can help you optimize your listing and make sure everything you need for your site is ready for the future.
According to Search Engine Journal, a Google representative confirmed that it is only the ‘blue links’ that will be affected. What this means is the sites ‘listed’ on a mobile search will be affected. This will not affect local listing and probably won’t affect any video ranking, especially from Youtube since Google owns Youtube.
This is good news overall, but keep in mind, this is a first step towards quelling searches on the mobile platforms. Google can use this as a jump board to delist mobile friendly sites totally if they so choose.
While I don’t buy into the ‘mobilegedden’ cry, it is important to realize how important mobile responsiveness is to your website.
Without a mobile responsive design, many mobile and tablet users will bounce off your site. They won’t wait for bulky pages to load, nor will they try to filter through the small text. They will simply move on to the next page.
Here is an interesting stat. In 2015 mobile usages surpassed desktop usage for the first time. That crossover is an important notation and probably a good reason Google is taking this first step in mobile compliance.
Did you know that 78% of mobile searches for local business information resulted in a purchase? If you want to have more sales and more leads from your website, you want to make it friendly for those who are searching on mobile.
What are the advantages of a mobile website?
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Consistent branding: you control how your website looks on all devices.
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Availability: all of your pages are available not matter what device is being used.
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Save Money: no need to maintain a mobile version of your website.
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SEO: responsiveness usually results in better web crawling meaning your site gets found.
What makes a site mobile-friendly?
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Text is big enough to be read on a small screen.
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Links are easy to click.
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Images are scalable and not bulky to load.
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Videos are scalable and easily playable.
Now you have all the details you need to make sure your website is ready for the mobile generation and for Google mice update on April 21st. If you have any doubts about the affects on your webpage, contact one of our professionals immediately by calling 469-609-1933 or click on this sentence to use our handy online contact form. We will get your site ready for now and for the future.
