For the first time in a long time, Google has changed their search algorithms. Meaning that Google has been updated and now, mobile search results will start to look a lot different. The update came in on April 21st, but as with other updates, it can take a couple of weeks for it to make its way to everyone. Google’s search engine is a complicated beast, and it’s not as simple as flicking a switch; it takes a long time for all of this to be updated. If you’re a website owner and your site isn’t mobile-friendly just yet, don’t panic. While this new update has been dubbed “Mobilegeddon”, it’s not too late to change for the better, and your website will not be kicked from the Google rankings all together.
First thing’s first, it’s a good idea to understand just what “Mobilegeddon” actually is. It’s a change to how search results will appear on Google from mobile devices. From Google’s Webmaster blog; “affects only search rankings on mobile devices” which means that your website won’t be completely kicked to the kerb by Google and while it does affect all languages throughout the globe it only “applies to individual pages, not entire websites”. Straight away, this makes Mobilegeddon a lot less scary than you might have first thought.
There are other search criteria that Google will use to determine how highly your website should be ranked as well, so don’t despair. Google has also given users handy tools to determine whether or not their website is ready for this new change, which you can find here. The bottom line is that not only is it easy to understand this change, but it’s not quite as bad as it might sound.
Changing your website to be more friendly is not only a good idea, but something that you should have thought about quite some time ago. Still, there’s no need to panic, you can make your site mobile-friendly now and reap the benefits in the future. This update is not about punishing those that haven’t gotten around to it yet, but about making the mobile web and easier place to navigate. While you might not be there right now, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t work on this for the future, and over time your website will start to reappear in the high rankings and continue to rise.