We’ve been saying it for some time, now Google are saying it loud and clear – you need to think mobile.
How your website ranks on Google search is vitally important these days, and their latest announcement is going to be significant in how your website should be developed in order to rank highly.
The company has announced their plans to expand on their use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal, so from April 21, if your site is not optimised to be mobile-friendly, you are going to to be severely impacted. If your website is not developed to support mobile browsing, then you are going to be missing out on traffic and engagement.
These changes have been brought in to make sure that users will be able to easily get relevant and high quality websites that are optimised for their device when searching. It makes sense seeing as 80% of internet users now own a smartphone or mobile device. It also applies to websites worldwide and to any language, so it will affect your global reach as well.
It has been a long time coming, but the news that Google will be changing it’s search engine results to favour mobile-friendly websites is comes as us as no surprise.
fatBuzz has been at the forefront of developing websites that are responsive and optimised to be mobile-friendly for years now. We have been doing it this way as Google’s algorithm favoured sites that had these features before, so our clients can be rest assured that they won’t fall off in search rankings.
Responsive web design is what our team specialize in, and this is what our Director, Kyle Murdoch, believes gives fatBuzz an advantage in developing websites:
“Since day one, fatBuzz has went that extra mile in making sure that every website we design is responsive and optimised for mobile devices.”
“We recognised early on that most people use a mobile device to browse the internet, whether its a smartphone or a tablet, it’s the most common way people access online content these days, and it lead to our focus on developing mobile-friendly sites that are responsive and user-friendly.”
“I think that our experience in developing websites this way is a huge advantage to us, we have built up a vast knowledge with what works best and can create sites for our clients that not only work well on mobile devices, but also look fantastic.”
We have studied Google’s mobile friendly guide, which you can find here, and it will allow you to take their own test to see if your website meets their criteria.
How can I make sure my site is mobile-friendly?
Google have also outlined some top tips for you to consider when working with your developer to make sure your website is optimised, so lets take a look at some things you can do to make sure your website still ranks highly
Check your websites SERP appearance
Checking your websites appearance on the search engine results page (SERP) is a good starting point. On a mobile device, simply search for your website on Google, if it shows, then you’re ahead of the game! It means your site is mobile friendly and will be fine on April 21.
Make sure your site is mobile friendly
This step has been made really simple thanks to Google’s mobile friendly test, which you can find here. Simply input your sites URL and it will let you know if your site is mobile-friendly, if so, relax! If not, then it is time to consider getting your site developed to be so.
Find a developer who can make you a mobile-friendly site
fatBuzz can develop you a website that is fully optimised, responsive and mobile friendly. With Google now changing their algorithm to actively put more mobile-friendly sites into search results, the need to have a more responsive site is simply stronger than ever.
Google have outlined a number of factors to consider when working with a developer, and our team will satisfy all the requirements to create you a truly responsive mobile-friendly site.
A perfect example of this can be found with our client pcr, where we recently developed a website that is responsive and mobile-friendly.
If you would like to discuss how we can create you a website that will be mobile-friendly and responsive, then please get in touch with us by calling 0141 427 0727 or emailing us at hello@fatbuzz.com
We are also offering free consultations with your website, so we can check to see exactly if your website will be ready for the changes coming to Google search and can advise you on what you will need done to bring it up to what is required over a quick chat and a coffee, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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