Non Mobile Friendly Sites to be Removed from the index
I have been saying for a while that non mobile friendly sites should not be showing when I do a Google search from my phone.
This just makes sense, if you know something does not display or work properly on a mobile why make it available as an option to those using these devices? All it does it make for a poor user experience, it makes you think the site you are on does not want your business and it makes me think that Google do not care enough about my user experience to filter out the non-responsive sites.
The fact that 60% Internet searches come from mobile devices along with the announcement of Google’s mobile-first index, it’s increasingly important to optimize your site for mobile users.
What is Google Doing?
Up until this point, Google maintained and used one single index to serve both desktop and mobile search results.
This index is a “desktop-first” index, meaning that Google evaluates your website from a desktop user’s perspective.
What is Coming?
Now, Google is focused on building up a mobile-first index, meaning that they’ll evaluate web pages from a mobile user’s perspective.
According to Search Engine Land’s Report “Google’s mobile-first index likely not coming until 2018 at earliest” At SMX Advanced, Gary Illyes says Google will ‘communicate a lot‘ before rolling out the mobile-first index.
Click here to check if your webpage is mobile friendly
What Does it Mean?
If your website is indexed by Google, your content can appear in search results for their users. If it’s not indexed by Google, your content will never appear in the results of a Google search, and you won’t be able to reach users looking for information about your business.
While Google is building up this mobile-first index, there will essentially be two indexes in the interim. Most users will still see results pulled from the desktop-first index, while a smaller pool of users will see results from the new mobile-first index.
As Google tests and becomes more confident in the efficacy of their mobile-first index, it will serve more users these results. Eventually, it will replace the desktop-first index completely and have one single index and serve web pages from the perspective of a mobile user instead of a desktop user.
What To Do?
Add mobile call buttons to your website
If you want to reach more mobile users, you have to make it easy for them to contact your business. Adding mobile call buttons to your website allows mobile users to quickly reach your business with a single click. Call buttons can result in faster conversions, and site visitors will enjoy a more user-friendly experience.
Make your website mobile responsive
Responsive design involves creating a site that adapts to all browsers and screen sizes, so that it looks and functions the same way on all devices. By making your site mobile-friendly increases the amount of time that visitors spend on your site. Responsive design can also help you improve your rankings in search engines.
Utilize mobile call buttons in your PPC ads
Adding mobile call buttons to your PPC ads allows searchers to call your business by just clicking of a button.
When people view ads with call buttons, they will see your number, and now they can easily call you by simple click of the button. Call buttons are easy to add, and they can significantly improve PPC click rates.
Use Google AdWords IF Functions
Run IF ads in AdWords. By using IF Functions you can display unique text to mobile users who view your PPC ads. For example, if you offer special discounts to mobile shoppers, you can highlight that in the ads you show to mobile users.
Using IF Functions to reach mobile users is a great way to boost click rates and conversions from your paid ads.
Improve your mobile page speed
Making sure your website loads quickly is extremely important since mobile users expect speedy results as they search on the go.
Wondering if your site is up to par? You can check your website speed using this awesome tool.
What Not to Do?
Have Mobile site all forms.
No crawl path to critical content.
Info on pricing missing from mobile site.
Missing information. Make sure your site includes all your services info.
