How Do I Know If My Business Website Is Mobile-Friendly?

Andy Carter • May 8, 2015

Over the last few weeks, there has been a significant amount of information published on a recent algorithm change by Google. On April 21^st, Google implemented a new and substantial change to its mobile search-ranking algorithm. Search results on mobile devices are now prioritized and ranked based on how “mobile-friendly” a website is. Google just announced that mobile searches have surpassed searches on computers in ten countries including the U.S. and Japan. As mobile devices increasingly become the most common format for users to access the Internet, it’s important that our tools for finding information account for this.

What does it mean for a website to be considered mobile-friendly?

It means that your website offers a high-quality experience for users who are searching for content from mobile devices. This includes factors such as having pages that are optimized for quick loading times, including relevant and active links to other mobile pages, and a site design that scales dynamically based on the size of the screen it is displayed on.

How do you know if your website is currently mobile-friendly?

A simple Google search of your business name on any mobile device will provide you with the answer. When the search ranking results appear for your site on a mobile phone, you will notice a “mobile-friendly” label located under the URL listing of the business. Please remember this will only appear on search result listings performed from a mobile device. This mobile-friendly label will not appear on search results performed on a desktop or laptop. For further peace-of-mind, Google offers a free mobile-friendly test to verify that your website passes the mobile-friendly test.

What If My Site Is Not Mobile-Friendly?

Google will issue an immediate warrant for your arrest….just kidding. Google states that it uses a variety of signals to rank search results. The mobile-friendly change is a big one, but an unfriendly mobile site can still rank high if the pages of the site contain great content.

What are the first steps in making my site mobile-friendly?

This may be a huge surprise to you, but Google has a mobile-friendly resource for anyone getting started on the path to mobile success. If that is not enough, Google Webmaster has a very comprehensive FAQ styled blog answering many of the common questions related to the April 21^st change. The Google Developers site also has Getting Started Guide for anyone in the beginning stages of a new site.

Moving Forward

Hopefully, these tools and resources will put you on the way towards ensuring that your site meets the mobile-friendly standards, and to ultimately offer a superior experience for your users on all devices.

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