We have all heard the panic regarding mobilegeddon in 2015, but will 2016 see a similar update? 

Mobile And SEO

Mobile-friendly websites have been prioritized due to the growing use of smartphones. You may even be reading this blog from a smartphone as we speak. 

Even though technical SEO is still a factor, Google and other search engines have moved in the direction of valuable content. One method of adding value would be ease of use (meaning people can access it from their phones or other devices). 

The Latest Update

The first update introduced ‘mobile-friendliness’ as a ranking signal – meaning sites which don’t meet Google’s criteria place lower in the search results on mobile devices. This new update, rolling out in May, will increase the effect of this signal on Google’s rankings. Mobile Marketing Magazine

The newest update is expected to be fully released in May. However, it will not have the same impact as last year's update. 

Those who are already mobile-friendly have nothing to worry about. 

Mobile Design

If you are unsure whether or not your site will pass Google's criteria, you can always use their free testing tool. What are some of the steps if you fail? You first need to consider the best approach.

Responsive Design

The current trend in designing for mobile users is called "Responsive Design".  Because companies are developing new devices at different sizes every day, it's becoming important to create designs that can adapt.
Blue Archer

This style of programming uses CSS and HTML to respond to a variety of screen sizes. Essentially, you will have one website with one set of code that grows and shrinks per device. 

Adaptive Design

This style of responsive programming relies on different HTML layouts per screen, however, one draw back is that it lacks flexibility even though it can be slightly easier to program. 

Mobile Sites

Some businesses have very specific types of activities their customers tend to need to do on-the-go. They want a highly efficient mobile experience, with just a limited amount of content delivered on their mobile website.
Blue Archer

While this may work very well for the reasons described above, it seems that most companies are moving away from mobile sites since it can be costly and time consuming to manage two different websites. Separate sites are built, then a different one is served depending on the device. 

Get Started

If you want to redo your website to pass the mobile-friendly test, we can help.