On April 21, 2015 Google made big changes to their algorithm that impacted their search engine results pages to give mobile-friendly websites top priority. If your website doesn’t have a mobile-friendly version, you may have already felt the sting of dropping in Google’s search rankings. Don’t panic. Here are a few things you can do to make your site mobile-friendly and stay relevant in Google searches.
What Makes My Site Mobile-Friendly?
The easiest way to build a mobile-friendly website is by using a ready-made responsive design theme. These themes are available for major website platforms like WordPress and they automatically create a mobile version of your site when someone visits on their smartphone or tablet.
Think of a mobile site the same way as you do your regular site. What do you want the audience to do when they arrive? Are you encouraging them to purchase, subscribe to your list, or something else? Mobile sites make your call to action clear while keeping the site easy to use on a Smartphone by implementing large font sizes and clear, easy to tap buttons.
How To Make Sure You’re Mobile-Friendly
Take a look at your website right now from a mobile device to see if it is already implementing a responsive design. It’s important to make this assessment as soon as you can. You can use Google’s Mobile Usability Report found in your Google Webmaster Toolkit to help you determine your site’s mobile-friendliness.
If your site is not mobile-friendly it is time to switch to using a responsive design. Before calling your web designer do an assessment of other sites within your market. Take a look at how they are using mobile-friendly versions of their sites to entice your customers. Use the information you find to get a clear picture of how you’d like your site to be used on a Smartphone. This gives you a goldmine of information to tell your designer.
Once your mobile site is up and live it’s important to track your rankings and optimize as much as you can to rise in the search engine results pages. Tweak your mobile site exactly as you would your regular site by using smart SEO and keyword strategies. Take note during your tracking and measuring if there are differences between how people are finding and using your main site versus your mobile one. Optimize these sites to suit your end-users.
