The importance of mobile users is not going to be going away anytime soon – in-fact there is a greater focus on these users now than there has ever been. People are using their mobile devices while on their way to work, while standing in traffic, while walking – heck almost all the time. They are searching for new places to go eat, looking up phone numbers, and doing research while sitting in Starbucks. Google took notice to this a while ago, and last year introduced, for the first time ever, mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. Now they are rolling out another update which is supposed to increase the ranking signal effect.
We knew about this update since March 2016 – so hopefully those of you who did not meet the mobile-friendly requirements back when the original ranking signal launched have had enough time to make your website more mobile-friendly. I did however want to mention this update again, and in a new post, as it gives webmasters a great reminder of the importance of having a mobile-friendly website, and gives those of you who haven’t converted to a responsive and mobile friendly website yet a second chance to take advantage of Google’s ranking signal. Lastly, and most importantly, we all need a reminder every now and then.
Speaking of reminders, keep in mind that the mobile-friendliness test by Google is absolute, so your site either qualifies as mobile-friendly or it doesn’t. There are no grey areas or sliding scale to the ranking signal. This makes it very easy to implement, as you will have a clear confirmation from Google that your site qualifies for the ranking boost.
If you need support with your mobile-friendly site, we recommend checking out the Mobile-Friendly Test and the Webmaster Mobile Guide, both of which provide guidance on how to improve your mobile site.