Is Google about to punish you? Maybe.
Pay attention to this date … April 21, 2015 … This could be the day your website starts losing mobile traffic in a big way. Why? Because this is the day Google plans to launch a major update to its mobile algorithm. And that means this is the day your website could begin falling behind in the organic search rankings if it isn’t mobile friendly.
Check your Google Analytics stats to see where your site stands but, according to this article at Search Engine Land, about half of all searches on Google are done on mobile devices. That means half your traffic is potentially at risk, and a 50% drop in website visitors would have a dramatic negative impact on anyone’s business.
A Bit of a Silver Lining
The good news is that you don’t have to wait until April to find out if Google sees problems with your site. Here are a couple of things you can do right away to find out if you have a mobile usability problem and, if so, what you can do to fix it.
Check out Google Webmaster Tools. If you already use this tool simply login and go to Search Traffic > Mobile Usability. You’ll be able to see not only which pages Google thinks are unfriendly to mobile devices but also what, specifically, is the problem.
If you’ve never used Webmaster Tools, now might be a good time to set up your account. Mobile usability isn’t the only reason you might want to have this resource in your tool belt.
Get a Free Assessment. You may also want to request our free online marketing assessment, which will tell you if your website is mobile responsive — or not. It will also tell you a lot of other useful things about the current state of affairs on your website.
Google has been hinting at this move for a while but it’s now the 11th hour. We urge you to use one or both of these resources to
- Find out if your website is ready for mobile-usability primetime and
- Understand what needs fixing to avoid the coming “mobile penalty”.
Good luck!
Deborah is a reformed tennis bum and inbound marketing strategist whose main professional purpose is to support local business owners, experts and entrepreneurs by helping them understand the impact and importance of online marketing. She is one happy camper when she can help clients be more visible on the Internet, increase their own customer base and become more profitable. How can she help you?
Topics: Website Optimization
