Google has finally given an exact date to separate mobile from HTML search. On April 21, 2015, search will be forever changed! At that time, only true mobile sites will come up in mobile search. HTML search will show only HTML. What does this mean? It means that anyone searching from a MOBILE device will only be able to see mobile websites. Google has clarified that for “search” criteria, mobile specifically means phone, not tablet. Since in EVERY CATEGORY, mobile search accounts for a MINIMUM of 55% of searches, your business could potentially LOSE or GAIN 55% more clients. ( Be aware, most categories have a much higher mobile search rate, up to 98% in A LOT of categories, most are closer to 80%). Can you afford to lose this much? Can your business friends?
Do an audit of your own site to make sure that’s mobile-friendly!
What Is the “Google Mobile-Friendly” Algorithm?
In this new algorithm Google defines “mobile” as smartphone devices only and does not include:
- Tablets, which Google considers a different class of device
- Multimedia phones, which are mid-grade phones with HTML5-compatible browsers, but don’t support all features
- Feature phones, which are low-end phones that have web browsers unable to display webpages in their normal desktop format
One thing to note: Google has stated that recommendations are geared toward smartphones, but they also encourage website owners – when they feel it appropriate – to follow the same advice for multimedia and feature phones.
What Are Smartphones, According to Google?
Google defines smartphone as devices running Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone operating systems with web browsers that function similar to desktop computer browsers and able to display webpages that conform to HTML5 specifications.
What Does a Website Need in Order to Be Considered Mobile-Friendly by Google?
- Google needs to know your website can be easily read on mobile devices. This means your website must be either a responsive design (something Google states is their recommended design format for websites) or otherwise able to display a mobile-only version of the page.
- Google needs to be able to “see” everything behind the scenes. This means Googlebot (Google’s web crawler) needs to be given access to read not only the HTML, but also CSS, JavaScript, etc. used on your website.
- Your website needs to avoid “common mistakes” that hurt the mobile user experience. Among these mistakes are slow-loading mobile pages and making Flash video the bulk of a page’s content.
How Can I See If My Website Is Mobile-Friendly According to Google?
Google provides online tools for evaluating your website’s compliance with the Google mobile-friendly algorithm. Be sure to use the mobile-specific addresses of your website in your tests if it is not a responsive website.
Google Mobile-Friendly Test
This tool does just what the name implies: it evaluates your website’s mobile-friendliness. Test results provide specific suggestions for improvements wherever there are problems, such as:
- Text too small to read
- Links too close together (i.e. not “thumb friendly”)
- Mobile viewport not set
- Uses incompatible plugins, etc.
Click here to check your website with the Google Mobile-Friendly Test.
Final Word: This is really in important issue for your business or blog website. We highly recommend you do an audit of your own site to identify if you’re making these common mistakes. Obviously if you don’t have a mobile website yet you should contact us. And don’t forget to share this news to other firends. This will be really helpful for your nearst friends who don’t know about this update!