Does your website have a responsive mobile version? Even though mobile devices have been about many years, not all companies and business owners have adopted fully functional and responsive mobile versions. Not every company may rely on traffic coming from mobile device users and developing a fully functional, responsive mobile version, can require extra resources. So while it is understandable that not all businesses may have a mobile-friendly website, the latest upcoming changes, suggested by Google, are about to change the way business owners think. Google has recently leaked information which shows all websites with a responsive mobile version are going to receive bonus ranking points.
Why does Google care about the responsive mobile versions of websites?
It is the next natural step. Today the majority of people use mobile devices to browse the Internet. Google always strives to show the most useful and meaningful content to users. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that they will prioritise showing websites, offering a well-made responsive mobile version.
Can mobile optimisation hurt the desktop performance of my website?
No, it cannot, it can only help you. The desktop version of your website is completely separate from your responsive mobile version. When a visitor opens your website from a mobile device, if your website does not offer a responsive mobile version, the page will simply not fit on the screen. This can be detrimental, even if your business strategy does not rely on mobile traffic. Studies show that more than 67.6% of users shop from their mobile device so there might be quite a few customers you miss out on, unless your website has a responsive mobile version.
How do I know if my website has a responsive mobile version?
Do not worry! Most Internet users are unsure of what qualifies as a responsive mobile version, especially when it comes to the opinion of Google. Simply put, any website that can be easily browsed with mobile devices can be classified as mobile-friendly. Google, however, tends to be a bit more strict. When examining a website, the Google algorithms take a wide variety of factors into account – page loading speed, size, images, scripts, the amount of plugins used and more. Manually checking any website for responsive mobile version can be pretty daunting and therefore a lot of owners opt to not bother. However, times have changed. Everyone now needs to take a good look at how responsive their page is. If you are interested in checking if your website offers a proper responsive mobile version, you can make use of this free website analysis tool. While not completely focused only on mobile-friendliness, it has one of the greatest website evaluation toolkits available and is absolutely free.
My website does not offer a responsive mobile version, should I be worried?
Yes and no. Even though Google will not penalise desktop-only focused websites, all of those that are properly mobile responsive will gain a boost in their search engine positions. So ask yourself this – do your competitors have а responsive mobile version already? Have you checked them out recently? If you are unsure of their situation, you can make use of this website analysis tool and see how they compare. Knowing what the competition is doing is always handy in all business areas!
What steps can I take to make my website more mobile-friendly?
Firstly, evaluate how well your website performs on mobile devices. This means taking into account all screen resolutions and sizes. Then make sure that the code and content are optimised properly. Having a good, responsive mobile version of your website is not a one-time deal. Every single time a new page or piece of content goes live, it needs to get checked and its mobile compatibility verified. While it can sound tedious, it soon will allow you to pull ahead of the competition in terms of Google positions. If you or your team lack the means or time, you can always turn to us for advice. The Go Live UK mobile website development experts have created and optimised numerous websites in their over 20 years of experience and are always happy to help with suggestions. Click here to contact us to get an evaluation and help in the creation of a good, responsive mobile version, for your business website.
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