Go Mobile and Avoid an Algorithm Penalty

If you’re trying to maximize the impact of your online presence, you need to be aware of changes coming soon to the Google mobile algorithm.

The search giant has announced plans update the way they prioritize sites, placing a greater emphasis on sites that are mobile-friendly.

The change will go into effect on April 21^st and is expect to have a major impact on existing search engine rankings. That means that if your site is not mobile-friendly, you will struggle to connect with new customers. To help you keep your ranking high, we’ve come up with a few tips to help you adapt to the new Google mobile algorithm.

Make Your Website More Responsive

Emphasizing responsive website design is important generally, but it will be an even bigger priority with this new algorithm. Here are three easy ways to enhance you responsiveness:

• Focus on your website’s breaking points to that it fits naturally onto any device.
• Make sure your images load correctly on mobile devices and as quickly as possible.
• Simplify your website’s navigation tools so that visitors get from Point A to Point B as quickly and easily as possible.

Improve Your Mobile Site

If you have a dedicated mobile site, it will likely be impacted by the new algorithm. Look for these features to make sure your site doesn’t fall in the search rankings:

• Make sure that redirects are in place from desktop pages to equivalent mobile pages.
• Enhance the quality of your mobile site from a user-experience perspective.
• Conduct an independent SEO audit of your mobile site.

Check with Google

Hopefully you are already signed up with Google Webmaster Tools. If you are, you may have received a notification alerting you that your site is not mobile-friendly. If you have received this notification, it’s time to get serious about a redesign.

Take Early Steps

The April 21^st roll-out of the new Google mobile algorithm is only a few week away. That doesn’t give you much time to prepare. Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take to enhance your mobile-friendliness while you are working on a more comprehensive redesign:

• Repair any view-port issues on desktop sites
• Take down bad mobile sites and direct traffic to the desktop site
• Correct any mobile redirect issues
• Conduct an SEO audit of any dedicated mobile site

Let Studio C5 Keep Your Search Ranking High

If you are researching the new Google mobile algorithm, you are obviously invested in your search engine ranking. Getting onto to the first page and working towards the top spot is crucial if you want to connect with more customers.

Are you looking to learn more about responsive design – and possibly avoid a penalty?

First, test out your site using Google’s mobile usability index to see if you’re set up for mobile. Then, see our all-inclusive inbound marketing system in action and learn how an engaging online experience is critical to growing your online presence.