Don’t panic, but another deadline is upon us, and this comes less than one week after your dreaded tax deadline of April 15. Google has been warning us for months that the new algorithm will take place on April 21st, but for those of you whom have been preoccupied with other busy aspects of running your business, that time is here.
What Does the New Google Algorithm Mean for Your Business?
If your site is not responsive – as in, “mobile friendly” – does that mean your business will burst into flames and land in a big pile of dust that no one can longer recognize? Well, sort of. At least on search engines.
Starting April 21st, Google will be penalizing websites that are non-responsive by knocking them down a few rungs on the search engine rankings, which to some businesses, is the equivalent of getting thrown overboard and having to swim to shore. Why are they doing this? Mainly because Google’s top priority is to give users the best experience, and with so many people pulling up websites on their mobile phones and tablets now, it affects the bounce rates significantly.
A bounce rate is determined when a user clicks on a website and either does not find what they are looking for, or cannot view the website due to incompatibility. This update is being made to force website owners to “get with the times” or fall behind in the rankings. The good news is that you can reclaim your position and that you will not lose your website, but if you do need to update to a responsive site design, iVelocity can push the job through and make sure your website is compatible on all devices.
Non-Responsive Websites will Drop Significantly in Search Engine Rankings
If you are not sure if this applies to you or not, or if Google’s crawlers can see your website on smart devices, just check it with the handy link below. Also, make sure that ALL of your pages look right, not just the home page. If your website is not up-to-snuff with this Google algorithm, then this should be just as urgent as your recent April tax deadline. If not more so.
The last thing you want to do is fall behind in search engines, especially if your site is reliant on web traffic to get customers through the door. Take this Mobile-Friendly Test to determine your site’s compatibility. You might also want to check the Mobile Usability Report in Google’s Webmaster Tools to make sure your website is error-free. This is not just another ordinary Google update; it is anticipated to have a tremendous impact more than any other algorithm update we have seen in the past.
Check your website now:
Google Mobile Friendly Website Check Tool
Or this fun tool is good, too: Click Here to View Your Website on Mobile Device Replicas