April 21st 2015 has finally arrived and it is the day Google is changing its algorithms*
* The caveat to this being that the whole process may not happen on this single day but could take a week– this at least may buy some people time and spur them into compliance! Within this there remains a question as to when the benefit of adhering will become noticeable and have impact (and more worryingly for some when they may be penalised!)
The decision has been taken because of the increased usage of mobile devices. Google believes that people should receive precise, relevant and quick results that are friendlier to their native device, which is what we believe also.
The change affects mobile searches conducted throughout the world (desktop ranking will, apparently, not be changed.) When the update takes full effect the result will be that internet search users will get better mobile usable results appearing higher up the rankings list (where you’d expect them) but the difference is they will be configured specifically for viewing on mobile devices, delivering a greater user experience.
There are many factors that will be taken into account when determining this “positive experience.” For example:
– How big is the text size?
– Does the website scale to the mobile appropriately or do users have to zoom and move around the page (the obvious one!)
– The link proximity. Fingers and thumbs are more, well, fingers and thumbs? It is much more finicky trying to click around on a mobile than it is with a mouse on a desktop. Google will take this into account.
The change is all or nothing. You could have a perfectly rendered homepage or three quarters of your site could be mobile friendly and it will make no difference. To get the thumbs up all of your site must pass the test and this can mean the heat is really on to get it right.
Why not test your website for yourself and see if you are prepared?