On April 21st 2015 Google revealed a massive update had taken place.

Update: 17/05/16: Whilst the information within this article remains accurate Google have released further updates recently. We will be reviewing this blog article shortly and providing additional information.

Google is now penalising websites that are non-mobile friendly – i.e. do not deliver a great user experience when viewed on mobiles or tablets. On the flip side, that means websites that are mobile friendly are now enjoying higher search engine rankings and more free traffic. In fact, a recent study comparing the rankings of hundreds of thousands of web pages against tens of thousands of keywords revealed that mobile friendly web pages now account for 71% of positions on the first 3 pages on Google search results. And this number is only going to grow. But this update was no surprise, as Google had started warning website owners of this coming change in early February 2015.

So whilst it had been web design best practice to create all new websites on a responsive design (website responds to the device it is being viewed on so it displays correctly and is easy to navigate on desktops, mobiles and tablets), this update in April has now made it compulsory. Luckily we knew about this update and were able to help our clients prepare, but many website owners who are not up to date with Google changes have now been dumped by Google and their website leads and sales have declined.

If Your Website Was Built 3 Or More Years Ago You Will Be Negatively Affected

Responsive technology has only been around a few years so if your website was built before 2012 then your chances of ranking high in Google mobile searches are not good. The reason for this is that over 50% of Google searches are now made on mobile devices and Google does not want to send its users to websites that do not display properly on all devices.

To check if your website is mobile friendly use this tool. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool

3 More Reasons Why You Need A Mobile Friendly Website Now

Besides getting more free traffic from Google there are 3 more crucially important reasons why you need a mobile friendly website…

1. Improve Mobile Conversions

With the majority of Internet searches now being performed on mobile devices you need to be able to attract and convert users who view your website on all devices. If your website is not responsive then it will appear messy and be very hard to navigate for people on Smartphones and tablets. This means that 50% of your websites visitors will abandon your site almost immediately, even if they are your ideal target market and you have a great offer for them. If they can’t see it, it won’t matter.

2. Your Website Will Load Faster

Surveys have shown that a 1 second delay in load speed can decrease your conversion rate by more than 7%. For every second longer that it takes your website to load you lose more and more customers. If your website is not mobile friendly it will take much longer to load on mobile devices. So this means you will annoy and lose potential customers and Google will punish you again for having a slow website load speed. Mobile friendly designs on the other hand are specially developed to load quickly on all devices and get you the big thumbs up from both Google and your mobile website visitors.

3. Better User Experience

We’ve all experienced it. You see a link on Facebook or in an email that is interesting or offers something you need. But when you hit the link you can’t read the text, press the links or find the information you were looking for. It is not an enjoyable experience so you leave the website never to return. If your website is more than 3 years old or isn’t mobile responsive then there is a good chance this is happening on your site every day.

Mobile friendly designs make it easy for people to navigate your site on tablets and Smartphones. They display text that is readable and ensure that visitors can easily find your opt-in or buy now buttons. (Pretty important right?) So as you can see it is no longer an option to have a mobile friendly website. It is an absolute necessity.

We can help you make your website mobile friendly quickly and affordably to ensure you don’t get penalised by Google and also deliver a great user experience no matter what devices people use to view your website.

Call me today on 1300 887 427 or contact us with your website URL so we can provide some feedback on what you need to do to make your old website mobile friendly.

Resources:

Jay Daniells

About the Author: Jay Daniells

Jay Daniells has been doing advanced SEO work for clients since 2010. He is an SEO specialist. He first started doing SEO work in 2005. He has also been creating websites full-time since 2003. Amongst things Jay is also a graphic designer, digital marketing consultant and creative person. His focus is helping businesses, community groups, clubs, charities, organisations and other entities achieve their goals. He is the owner of Green Valley Digital.