Rumors and Fears about April 21st
What will happen if your website doesn’t meet the Google mobile friendly guidelines by April 21st? You’d think it was Y2K all over again with the rumors that have been flying wildly about Google’s new guidelines. I think they peaked when Google started sending out emails notifying webmasters that their site(s) didn’t meet the guidelines. When you have professionals in a panic no wonder non-techies started to fret. For those who remember Y2K and fears that appliances would just STOP or ATMs would fail and you’d lose access to your money… well, January 1st came and life went on as normal. There will be problems after April 21st but it won’t result in the shutdown of the web or your website.
Why Does Google Want Mobile Friendly Websites?
Google isn’t just a search engine– they also sell phones.
Google doesn’t just sell phones – they sell ads that appear on the phones.
Google doesn’t just sell ads– they’ve developed the search engine used on phones.
And when the latest stats say that 80% of searches are done by mobile devices, then Google has a vested interest in making their search and their ads work as best as possible on mobile devices!
Does Google Care About the Performance of My Website?
If you want to know if Google cares about you converting web visits to business, or if they care if your site outsells your competition– then the answer is “No.” Google cares that your site performs optimally on phones so they are giving their phone customers links to sites that look good and function well on phones. Google cares that your site is mobile friendly so that if you display Google Ads then their ads will get more clicks through your site.
If It Helps Google, Why Should My Website Be Mobile Friendly?
What helps Google helps you. Google’s site search works of an algorithm (a complex mathematical calculation) that determines where a website appears in the search results. Google is giving us a heads up that greater weight will be given to responsive mobile friendly websites. Familiar with the phrase “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” That’s right, if your site is a mobile friendly, then Google is likely to move it up or keep it up higher in the search results.
My Question About Google Mobile Friendly Ranking
I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can make a good guess of where Google is going with this. With 80% of searches occurring on mobile devices, my bet is on Google pushing mobile friendly website to the top of the results in their smart phone search app.
So where will your website be after April 21, 2015? It’s assured that it will still be online. It will still be “findable” by Google. You may choose to wait and see if it drops down the page or onto the second or third page of the search results (UGH!). Can this happen? Well, it DID happen a few years ago when Google made a change in their algorithm. I’m recommending to clients to prepare for a web re-design to make their site responsive because the volume of mobile use now warrants it and if Google moves to award mobile friendly sites with higher ranking, well then responsive web design is absolutely necessary.
