Mobile Optimized Sites: Truly The Sign Of The Times
Google had announced algorithm changes that affect how they rank web sites – those whose sites aren’t mobile optimized would pay the price, Google warned. The advanced warning put sites on notice for the April 21 change, which factored in mobile keystones such as screen size optimization, responsive design, text legibility, and mobile-friendly software.
And guess what? Bing just followed suit!
Bing has announced that it will also be tweaking its algorithm to prioritize mobile-optimized websites. According to Microsoft, with mobile searches exploding from all corners of the globe, it is but fitting for them to improve their algorithms and offer quality results to appeal to both desktop and mobile users.
The mobile numbers are staggering. In a February news release by The Boston Consulting Group, there are close to 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide or one subscription for every person. Over a third of these subscriptions are for smartphones. Smartphone sales for 2014 is estimated to have grown by 18% as unit prices and access to the Internet have become more affordable. Since 2011, mobile penetration has grown from 18 to 36% and in 2 year’s time, the prediction is that mobile subscriptions will outnumber fixed line subscriptions or own 60% of Internet access spending.
Some of the most remote regions in the world still have Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G or 4G coverage, which would explain the logic behind the changes in logarithms for 2 of the biggest search engines in the world.
It’s Time to Move Forward
Did you know that once your site is tagged as “mobile-friendly”, traffic to your site will increase dramatically? Studies by the search engines show that users prefer mobile-friendly tags and will automatically disregard those that are not. Microsoft has said that by being mobile-friendly, “users are able to satisfy their information needs much faster.” And because of this, they will be putting mobile friendliness as a high priority factor.
Not being mobile-friendly is like saying, “I don’t want the most customers possible.”
What you must do now is to contact us to allow us to help you become mobile-friendly. Being a part of the mobile-first movement will ensure that your ranking will continually increase as Google and Bing promise to not stop at improving their algorithms. Keep in mind, this is just the start of their efforts to reach the mobile community with relevant search results.
Some of the important factors that will have to be worked on to improve your mobile friendliness include but are not limited to: seamless navigation, scrolling, readability, and compatibility. It is also critical that your website can be uploaded fast on the mobile phone. People using their mobile phones are generally on-the-go, busy, or easily distracted. The Internet has so much to offer. It’s not just information but videos, social sharing, music, or a combination of all these. Lagging or slow to load websites will be quickly discarded by more than 50% of the mobile network, at the very least. Quick test: Load your home page right now using your phone. How long did it take? If it took more than five seconds, you’re likely losing customers.
If you can starting moving alongside the changes of search engines by working with us now, you can avoid getting caught in a whirlwind of changes and a falling performance on the search engine results ranking.