As you probably already know, Google changes their algorithms all the time. Each update ultimately changes search rankings. Therefore, it is important to understand each algorithm change to ensure your website continues to be visible in search results.
Google’s April 21st Algorithm Update
As of April 21, when someone conducts a Google search on a mobile device, preference is given to those sites deemed mobile-friendly.
Fortunately, Google has made it easy for you to know whether your site is mobile-friendly or not by offering their free Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool. You simply type in your website’s URL and the tool grades you on different factors. For example, the tool takes into consideration how easy to read your fonts are, ease of tapping links, and the size of your content.
In short, if you haven’t checked your site’s mobile-friendliness yet, you should do so with the free testing tool linked above.
With more and more people searching from their smartphones and tablets, your site needs to be mobile-friendly in order to improve your mobile search engine rankings, helping your target audience better find your business online.
My Site Is Mobile-Friendly. Now What?
Even if your site is deemed mobile-friendly by Google, there are steps you can take to help your website for searches. Therefore, consider being mobile-friendly as just the beginning.
Include the steps below and you’ll be ahead of the crowd (and hopefully ahead of your competition in search results).
Determine How the Google Update Affected Your Site
To figure out exactly how much of an impact the new Google algorithm has had on your site, you need to create a Mobile Baseline Report. This report tells you the traffic you receive from Google mobile searchers.
To create the report simply log into your Google Webmaster Tools. Then choose “Search Traffic” and click on “Search Queries”. From there you can click on “Filters” and change search from “Web” to “Mobile”.
Once you’ve created the report you can compare the traffic you received before the update to the traffic you’ve received after the update. Pay particular attention to the number of impressions your site receives, as this is a better indicator of a change in search rankings.
Not sure how to log into Google Webmaster Tools or whether it is set up on your website? We can help. Fill out our contact form and we would love to talk to you about how to better optimize your website for mobile searches, including creating a baseline report.
Decide if the Mobile-Friendly Title Is Right for You
If your site is mobile-friendly, it can be labeled as such in the search results. However, certain schema markups, such as product listings or a link to your app, may show up instead.
To determine which is more important for your site, focus on your customers. Will they be more compelled to click on a site that promises ease-of-use by being mobile friendly, or will the schema you’ve added to your site be the bigger draw? There is no blanket answer. However, if you haven’t implemented schema into your site, the mobile-friendly designation will be a great addition to your site.
What is a schema? Check out our blog on Schema Markup to learn more about what a schema is and why it’s important for your website.
Use Schema to Alter the Structure of Your Mobile URL
The Google update included a new way to structure your mobile URL. Mobile searches will now display the page location in a breadcrumb-like format. You have to use schema to designate your site name. If not, Google will use your domain by default. This is a way for your search result to look much neater and give a clearer understanding of what you are all about.
Be Successful in the Mobile Market
These are just a few of the pieces to the mobile SEO puzzle.
Overwhelmed? We can help! Our SEO marketing consultants would love to meet with you and give you an analysis of your website. We can make sure that your site isn’t only mobile-friendly, but optimized for local search.
Contact us today to setup a meeting (local clients) or call (if you are outside of the Birmingham area) to learn more!
