web development

Every time Google announces an update to their ranking algorithm the whole community panics…So the chances are, that as the owner of a website, you haven’t been spared of the latest scare.

Recently Google announced that “Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”

What does it mean?

Basically, it means that if your website doesn’t meet the criteria of mobile-friendliness, you will see a drop in rankings in Google search results. This means that other websites that meet the criteria will be pushed above your website for the same search terms (keywords) you’re currently ranking for or trying to target.

What’s Google’s mobile-friendly criterion?

There is always a certain mystery about how Google ranks websites and Webmaster and SEO community just thrives on that. But when it comes to mobile-friendliness, you can find the exact criterion right on Google’s website:

“A page is eligible for the “mobile-friendly” label if it meets the following criteria as detected by Googlebot:

Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
Uses text that is readable without zooming
Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped”

How do you know if you’re website is mobile-friendly?

If your website was built ages ago, it’s most likely that it doesn’t meet this criteria. As there was no smart phones then there was no need for your website to be responsive to smaller screens (Makes sense right?).

But there is no need for guessing….Google will simply tell you! Just go to this link https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ type in your domain name and you’ll get your verdict in a second.

What can you do if your website doesn’t meet the criterion?

If your website was built on WordPress, you’re lucky, as there could be simple and fast solutions to make it mobile-friendly.

If you’re website was ‘coded from scratch’, you will highly likely need to start from a start.

Why should you care?

In simple terms: If you’re relying on search engine rankings to drive traffic to your website to gain leads or sale products/services online, you will see drop in your business results and ultimately to your bottom line.

Having said that, the purpose of your website is to provide the best experience for your visitors that you possibly can in order to convert them to become your fans, leads, clients…or what ever your business objective is.

And that’s what Google is all about; all their Pandas, Penguins (and other animals) are targeted to reward those who provide valuable and relevant user experience and to penalise those who are not.

What to do next?

Check if your website is mobile-friendly?
Think about your current website. Does it provide good value to your visitors? Is the design and content engaging, clear and easy to navigate? Would you hang around if it wasn’t your website?
Check what are 6 Excellent Reasons To Consider A Website Redesign and how you can do it without breaking a bank

Google has been rolling out this update since 21^st April and we have not yet seen a major effect…so there is still time to make your site mobile friendly.

If you found this update useful, maybe someone else will too….so feel free to share with your community

Cheers,

Tea

I usually don’t like to be negative but this is really starting to piss me off. In the last few months I had 5 clients who became victims of the nasty game played by many web developers to keep clients in their claws.

So, let me ask you this:

Do you have full access to the backend of your website?
Do you have logins to your domain name registrar account and hosting account?
Can you make changes to your website yourself, if you choose to do it?

No? Well you’re in for a ride…

Let’s assume that one day you want to redesign your website and you want to use a different web developer, or simply move website to another hosting provider that has better service. Two things will happen:

Your web developer is a normal professional that will happily give you all necessary logins and wish you well. (If you’re dealing with such person you would highly likely not be looking for a new developer); or
Your web developer will be a very unhappy person and punish you for leaving, so he/she will play all sorts of tricks, such as not giving you the right logins, not answering your calls, suspending your account, dragging situation to extract another cycle of payments from you, corrupt files of your website etc. The list of childish behavior is endless…and I’ve seen it all in the last few months.

You see, times have changed and we no longer need to be locked-in with unreasonable hosting contracts, skyrocketing website development costs, other hidden fees. You don’t need to put up with poor communication and service delays from your web developer every time you want to change something on your website. (By the way, have you ever waited for weeks just to change prices on your website?!?)

Today, a small business owner, can actually be also an owner of their website, and have full control of this business asset. What I mean by this is, that when you own your domain name and hosting account, when you have full access to the backend of your website, you have control to work with who every you want. So if someone is not performing to your standards, you have control to fire them, and move to someone else.

I’m not saying all web developers are like that but do you really want to wait and see? So here is what you need to do now to prevent disaster later:

If you already have a website, ask your web developer to give you all logins to your website. If they ask why, tell them it’s your business asset and your right to have them. If they resist, well…you know where you stand…run fast. (You are probably being overcharged as well)
If you don’t have a website yet, tell you web developer that you will buy domain name and hosting yourself, or ask them to assist you but insist that you want your own direct account with the provider with full access to your website files.

Sorry for my rant, but I really don’t want to see you in a trapped situation where instead of enjoying your business and doing what you love, you are spend energy and time chasing what rightly belong to you.

Now, I’d like to hear from you:
Have you every been in this situation and how did you go about reclaiming your website?

Please share in comments below. Your experience can be just what someone else needs to hear…

Google Strikes Again! Should You Care?

Trapped In Web Developer’s Claws?