You all know how mobile devices are replacing desktops & laptops nowadays. A survey says that almost 73% of people prefer to use mobile devices to check websites and related information rather than browsing it on laptops and desktops. So what if your site isn’t updated to a Responsive web design? There are fair chances that a) your customers will end up having troubles to read and understand the content or the services b) They will switch to your competitor’s website who has a Mobile responsive website and c) They will save your website URL to a reminder box which may get subsequently forgotten. If you aren’t aware, there is also a “d” factor added to these points, and that is – Google’s Mobile-friendly algorithm update, which is set to run effective April 21st, 2015. This is something very big for this year and this will have a significant effect on your website rankings in the search engines.
Google, considering the growing number of mobile users, might have to run this update to keep the user’s interest protected and to stay ahead of its competitor search engine players. Google’s Webmaster Central Blog says that “When it comes to search on mobile devices, users should get the most relevant and timely results, no matter if the information lives on mobile-friendly web pages or apps.” We definitely agree to it. This giant player needs a pat on the back for understanding the user’s mind, meeting up their convenience level and adapting to the changing usage patterns of its audience. Google has officially announced that it will use the website’s mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. It means that your website may drop its ranking if it does not have a Responsive web design, as it is clearly mentioned that the websites who are mobile-optimized will have a great advantage of search engine ranking.
If you check your webmaster’s account, you might have already got a message from Google to make your site mobile responsive to avoid the negative effects of this algorithm update. Here’s the screenshot of one of my personal website which wasn’t mobile-optimized:
Advantages & Disadvantages
Like every update from Google, this update too will have its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages will, of course, be experienced by the website owners who already have Responsive web designs or who have redesigned their old websites to responsive sites. They will have a positive effect on their search engine ranking as compared to those haven’t taken their viewer’s browsing experience seriously. Disappointment will be faced by those are still in the 2k8 era when having just a simple desktop-friendly website was considered decent. Google team doesn’t live in the same stereotypical time for long, they have to change things according to the changing trends. So if you are still not planning to consider redesigning your website to a responsive website, brace yourselves to face the drips in your Google ranking.
If you aren’t sure if your website is Mobile friendly or not, you can check this Mobile friendly Test.
Go Mobile!
Our own team, along with our customers have experienced noteworthy growth in mobile traffic for the last 6 months. And this was enough for us to understand the importance of switching to a mobile-friendly website. If you are very serious about your online ranking and business, we highly recommend finding a Responsive Web Design Company and give your website a new look ASAP. Mobile is no more the future of the Internet, it is the present too. Take this opportunity to give your users a great browsing experience with your website.
The bottom line of this write-up is that responsive web design is no more just about the “look and feel” of your website, it has become one of the important ranking factors too.
