How To Test If Your Website Is Mobile Friendly
It was announced this past week that the mighty search engine Google is starting to shift their algorithm yet again. This time around they are focusing on mobile friendly design. They are focusing on making search results far friendlier to those that are using internet on the go. This is not a new concept. Insiders within the internet marketing world have been discussing this transition for some time now. You’re going to find that a grand majority were even warning designers, webmasters, and others about the looming change over. The reason this is starting to change is because more and more people are using tablets and smartphones to get their information. Searching online is now becoming easier than ever, and people are doing it on the go. That means that responsive web design has to follow a few rules. There are a few things that you can do to get ready for this transition. If you’re worried about whether or not your site is mobile friendly, don’t panic, follow a few steps and guidelines to ensure that this doesn’t cause a negative down turn in your rankings.
The Mobile Friendly Test
Google has a “Mobile-Friendly Test Tool” that you can use. You will be able to test your page and focus on several resources that could help answer your question. Is your page mobile friendly? All you have to do is type in your URL and the search engine does the work for you. If you’re ready to move forward, you will get a confirmation that your site is in fact ready. If your site isn’t mobile friendly at all, the tool will tell you that you’re missing something and could even direct you to how to fix it. This is a major step up from the previous guessing games that most people had to play with web design and compliance.
Use the Google Mobile Friendly Test Tool
Search Shortcut
For those that want to test whether or not their page is mobile friendly with their smartphone, test the following out. Go to google.com, and type in site: (site colon), and then your URL. Once you search, you will see whether or not your page is mobile friendly. The listings will list “Mobile-Friendly” underneath the URL that you have in place. If it is not, you will not receive this conformation and therefore you will need to overhaul your website. Remember, this is a parameter that is going to only help your business. Even if you don’t feel that you need mobile interaction, this is going to help you gain traction in a marketplace that may not be so quick to adapt.
Do You Really Need A Mobile Friendly Website?
The short answer is yes. Those that are not complying with this change from the search engines, will end up falling behind. As more and more people are focusing on searching the web while on the go, you have to comply. If you don’t, you could face serious penalties. Some of them could in fact delist you from search. If your keywords aren’t being organically searched now, they are going to be absolutely gone when this becomes the norm. There are still some that will not comply, and that’s fine. Content marketing is still a strong element, as is PPC, and other elements of marketing collateral. However, there doesn’t seem to be an end to the changes that Google is making to help those with mobile internet. Furthermore, the sales data is strong for smartphones and tablets, making this an absolute that businesses should not ignore.
Check To See If Mobile Traffic Is Coming In
You may already have your page mobile friendly. Many templates, including several within the WordPress community are standard with mobile elements. You won’t have to worry about this if you are in fact compliant. However, to ensure that you are getting found, consider looking into Google Analytics. Once inside your dashboard, go to “mobile” and click on overview. You will be able to see whether or not you are receiving any traffic from the major sources. There are 3 current major sources that search engines are looking for. The first is desktop, the second is mobile, and the third is tablet. These 3 elements are important to look into. If you don’t see the right numbers, then it’s time to shake things up.
Mobile Friendly Isn’t Complex
If you are worried about whether or not your site is not ready, don’t panic. When running the Google Mobile Friendly test, you will receive several points of change. Change things based on why your site is deemed not ready, and you can ensure that your site will not lose steam. If you are ranking high for keywords, you can maintain your status by simply fixing the mobile friendly issues that the tool says you have in place.
