Be Mobile-Friendly by April 21st or Lose Website Traffic [Google Algorithm Update: How to be Compatible]
Google has announced some big changes to their search algorithms happening April 21, 2015. When you look at the sheer number of searches that come through Google’s search engine each and every month – it is something every business needs to be aware of.
According to Digital Marketing Ramblings, there are close to 12 billion searches on Google each month – this is desktop and mobile searches. Google’s Matt Cutts recently stated that he “wouldn’t be surprised if mobile search exceeded desktop queries this year”. That combined with this important Google algorithm change is two huge reasons to take the mobile-friendliness of your website very seriously.
Why is this so important?
It is Google’s job to make sure the person searching from something in their search engine is given great search results. A happy searcher means they will keep coming back and using Google. There has been a little bit of a disconnect going on for years now with the rapid increase of mobile devices and Google. Before, if someone searched for something on Google using their mobile device, they would often be served a non mobile-friendly website. With consumers now expecting mobile-friendly websites when they are on their smartphone, Google must keep that searcher happy and show websites that are made for a great, mobile experience. So, it was time for an algorithm change:
Google will increase the rankings for mobile websites
As mentioned above, Google will be aligning their search results more with the device being used to perform the search. No longer will Google display non-mobile friendly websites when a search is made on a mobile device. So, if your website is not mobile-friendly, there is a good chance it will not appear in the searchers search results.
Google says it will have a “significant impact” on all mobile searches
Google has been very honest with its new algorithm change, saying that it will have a “significant impact” on all mobile searches. It is time now, before April 21st, for every business to grab a mobile device and make sure they have a mobile-friendly website in place, because if not, the number of visitors to your website will decrease dramatically.
Do your homework: is your website mobile-friendly?
Grab your smartphone or a mobile device and go to your website. You will see one of three things: a non mobile-friendly website, a mobile-friendly website or a Responsive Website.
Option 1: Here is what a non-mobile friendly website looks like (notice the lack of condensed navigation. You would have to zoom in and out to get to the pages on this website):
Option 2: A mobile-friendly website (notice, the navigation at the top of the website showcasing pages that would be searched or visited from a mobile device):
Option 3: Last but not least, a Responsive Website (notice the Menu button in the top right corner which has the full website navigation and all pages show perfectly on a mobile device)
What’s the difference between mobile websites and responsive websites?
Basically, a mobile-friendly website takes the top pages that are used on a mobile device and makes them compatible with mobile-friendly website guidelines. A responsive websites takes your ENTIRE website and makes it fit and work perfectly on any and all mobile devices – tablets, smartphones etc. So, if we were to grade a mobile website vs. responsive website, a mobile-friendly website would get a B or C (still passes) but a responsive website gets an A++ (absolutely perfect).
Still unsure of what kind of website is showing on your mobile device?
Use the Google Mobile Friendly Test to be sure.
Google has made a tool that lets you input your domain name (Example: www.kwmfuneralhome.com) into the Mobile Friendly Test to see if it is in fact mobile-friendly. Here, you can drop your domain name into the blank bar, it will run a test on your website and give you the results. If you see “Awesome! This page is mobile-friendly”, as shown below, then you are good to go.
What if You Are Not Mobile Friendly?
Yikes! If you see “Not Mobile Friendly” with red X’s glaring at you, then it is time to get the red x’s you see all fixed up and ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
If you are a FrontRunner client and your results show that your website is not mobile-friendly, contact us right away! There are now over 150 responsive website designs available and they are yours to choose from. It may mean a brand new online look for you, or it may mean moving into an updated version of your existing design. Either way – the choice is yours at absolutely no cost with our free Pulse Business System Upgrade going on now! Contact us today if you need some help figuring out if your website is mobile-friendly or not, or if you need to get yourself into a new, responsive funeral home website design. You can see all website designs available here.
If you’re not a FrontRunner client, know that we can help. We’ll get you up and running in a beautiful responsive website design, most times in a matter of days! Just schedule a time to chat with Jules Green on our team and she will get you in the latest funeral home website technology available on the market today.
Ashley Montroy, Marketing Director at FrontRunner Professional, has committed herself to helping funeral professionals understand and excel in today’s digital age. With a long-standing history in the funeral business and her father being a licensed funeral director for over 30 years; she grew up learning the family funeral business. Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton University and diploma from Algonquin College. Today, she continues to speak to over 15 state and provincial funeral association groups each year on funeral marketing in the digital age and protecting funeral firms online using experiences and examples from working with thousands of funeral homes in North America through FrontRunner Professional.