It’s big, scary and here to punish any website that isn’t mobile-friendly.
On 21 April the search engine world as we know it changed…
…or rather Google’s mobile-friendliness algorithm kicked into force.
Number crunchers
Algorithms are the calculations Google uses to deliver the search results that best suit your search request. If you’re not familiar with Google’s algorithm changes to date, you may at least know their codenames, which have previously involved animals. Now, a new algorithm ditches the cute Hummingbird, Penguin and Panda-type monikers and has instead been nicknamed something altogether scarier: Mobilegeddon.
Apocalypse now?
This new update rewards mobile-friendly websites (and therefore by default relegates those non-friendly websites). It’s a move that reflects the way mobile usage has overtaken access via desktops, now accounting for around 60% of time spent online. But is it really as apocalyptic as it sounds? Well, as you might expect, it depends.
When Google rolled out its Penguin algorithm, it affected around 4% of global searches and its Panda update affected approximately 12% of searches in England. This new algorithm will have a much bigger impact. If your site is already responsive – by which we mean the site adapts to the device users are viewing it on – you’ll either remain unaffected or the effect will be a positive one.
If, on the other hand, you website was designed for an age before tablets, phablets and smartphones, well, that may be an issue. You could find that previously healthy search rankings start to look an awful lot less impressive.
Mobilegeddon survivors’ handbook
So how do you ensure your site doesn’t suffer? The best way is to ensure your site is responsive. A mobile-version will suffice, but it remains a distant 2nd best option to developing something designed for the way we browse today.
Mobilegeddon isn’t quite the doomsday that it sounds, but if you want to maintain your search engine performance you’ll need a responsive website.
Is your site responsive? Let’s check. Get in touch and we’ll see how the latest Google changes are likely to affect you.
