A couple weeks ago, Google unleashed some updates to how it rewards mobile-friendly websites. We sat back and watched for a bit to make sure it was a big deal, and here’s what we found.
We’ve always been proponents of responsive design. This post, strangely from exactly two years ago, will catch you up on what we’re talking about. In a nutshell, responsive design frames a site so that it collapses to fit a narrower screen, so the site is as easy to use as it is on a desktop.
On April 21, Google started rewarding sites that do this with better ranking consideration. We’ve seen a measurable jump for our clients’ sites in traffic from this update.
What’s Being Graded?
To get some Google Love from this new update, your site needs to do the following:
- Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
- Uses text that is readable without zooming
- Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
- Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped
What Should You Do?
The first thing you should do is head over to Google’s new mobile-friendliness tool and see if your site passes. If it does, you’re in good shape. If not, you need to grab your web developer (or us) and get them to make the changes necessary to your site.
