When responsive design exploded a few years ago, nearly wiping out the need for separate mobile websites, many web professionals knew what would eventually transpire. Many of us knew that it was just a matter of time before Google set an ultimatum that ALL websites be mobile and tablet responsive. We just didn’t know when. With over 1.5 billion mobile Internet viewers around the world and most of the population utilizing mobile phones, it only makes sense that Google would take note and push everyone into mobile friendly compliance.
Mobile friendly usability has been a key component in Google’s search algorithm. Websites that are responsive for use on mobile devices and tablets tend to achieve a higher ranking than non-responsive sites. Many of us in the industry knew that mobile optimization was influencing rank, but we weren’t certain to what extent.
As a bit of preventative “insurance”, we urged both new clients and existing customers to upgrade their websites to be mobile responsive. Some business owners decided to take a “wait and see” approach, despite the advice. Others were a bit more pro-active and immediately made plans to upgrade their sites to the responsive design platform. It would seem that with a Google deadline of April 21, 2015 looming, they made the right choice. Others who do not have mobile friendly sites may see their businesses take a severe hit in terms of their website ranking and visibility. This will clearly affect profitability for those businesses, such as e-commerce who derive a substantial income from their sites. If you want to check and make sure your website is mobile friendly, Google has a tool for that.
Fortunately, those website owners with non-mobile responsive sites will fare a bit better if they do also have a separate mobile site. For the moment, it seems that Google will not devalue their ranking as long as there is a mobile site to transition to. However, that could also change in the near future, with additional Google algorithm implementations, so the best bet is a fully responsive main website.
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