A recent change by Google makes it more critical than ever before for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website.
Google announced in October 2016 that it’s splitting its search results. There will be a mobile version of the popular search engine’s results index that is updated rapidly. A separate desktop index will not be updated as frequently.
The mobile index will be the primary index Google uses, and reflects a trend in recent years by the search giant to focus more on mobile. This shift to mobile-first reflects the overall state of the web, where mobile search exceeds desktop search.
The new emphasis also means that Google’s search bots will prioritize sites that are built with responsive design, which are those that are built to be mobile-friendly. As the bots crawl through the web to identify and rank pages, it will weigh responsively designed pages higher.
Impact on companies
The implications for companies that rely on websites for exposure, advertising and information for customers and potential customers are significant. Pages built with responsive design are far more likely to attract readers under Google’s new search split, which is slated to take effect soon. Sites not built with responsive design will certainly be ranked lower. It’s also possible that desktop searchers will find older and more out-of-date content if pages are non-responsive.
The change also means companies need to built sites with an eye towards speed. Sites that are slow to load are far more likely to be abandoned. With a mobile emphasis, the need for speed means using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technology for page design.
The risks for companies that ignore these changes are significant. Google itself reported in 2016 that 53 percent of web users will abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Google’s research compared sites that load in 5 seconds versus those that load in 19 seconds. Its findings were stunning. Sites that loaded in 5 seconds had:
- Twice the mobile ad revenue
- 25 percent higher ad viewership
- 70 percent longer page viewing sessions
- 35 percent lower site bounce rates
Respond with responsive
Companies more than ever need a site that responds to Google’s search algorithm and attracts customers regardless of the device being used. With Local Management, you have a trusted partner that will design and test your website to ensure it maximizes your impact. Our search engine optimization (SEO) team works closely with our customers to understand their functional needs, desired customer base, and website features and content.
We create dynamic, responsively designed pages for clients in a wide range of industries. Our SEO services include content creation for popular social networks, e-commerce solutions, monthly ranking reports, reputation management and email marketing campaigns. We also offer a full range of mobile marketing and mobile app development services.
With Local Management, your business will stay ahead of the curve and rank higher in search results for Google, Bing, Yahoo!, YouTube and other search engines. For more information about how Local Management can help your website generate buzz, viewers and clicks, contact us today.
