Starting on the 24th April Google’s new mobile friendly algorithm will be rolled out. Google are updating their search algorithm to include mobile friendly websites on all mobile searches.

This isn’t the first time that have done this. There has been other instances where they have changed their algorithm to show preference to mobile friendly sites. But this is the most publicised that we have seen.

Back in November last year Google started notifying people conducting searches if a site was mobile friendly by tagging the site “mobile-friendly” in the search results. See image below.

So what does it mean for you?

If your site isn’t a responsive site, or it doesn’t redirect to a mobile specific site there is a good chance you will lose some ranking spots on Google when someone does a search on a mobile device. Now this also depends on what your competitors have as well.

If none of your competitors in your industry has a mobile optimised site you may not drop down the search results. But if your competitors do in fact have mobile optimised websites you may find your site dropping down the organic rankings. And this isn’t just about ranking well. It is about providing your customer base a good experience no matter what type of device they use when they are browsing your site.

You have probably come across this yourself. Go and do some searches on Google on your mobile. Some websites are down right horrible to read and navigate on mobile devices.

And if your site uses flash it really is time to update your site. Google will notify people that your website may not work on their device if your website uses flash. Read more here.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?

First off you can see if your site will be affected by the update by running your site through the Google Mobile Friendly Test here.

If your site is optimised for mobile devices you will see something similar to the image below.

If your site isn’t mobile optimised you will see a “Not mobile-friendly” message and error messages like on the left side of the image below.

We can help you get a cost effective mobile responsive site in an efficient manner, and importantly get it up and running quickly for you. If you already have a site, we should be able to get your new responsive site up and running in 1-2 weeks.

The cost depends on what type of technology you are using for your current site, how many pages it has, whether we will have to redirect pages and other factors.

Before you go off getting prices and doing research make sure you read the tips below. They could save you countless hours and thousands of dollars.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE

Here are a couple of things you need to know before you update your website.

• Make sure that the site is a responsive site. Responsive means that the website resizes and will realign itself so that it fits on the device that is being used.
• We have seen instances where other website developers hold their customers to ransom by not releasing the website domain (the domain is your website address; www.fuelgroup.com.au). Make sure that if you have to purchase another domain that it is purchased by you. Some domain registrants also charge a hefty fee to transfer them. It is just easier to purchase yourself so you don’t have to pay for transfer fees and get messed about by an unscrupulous business.
• Make sure that all the relevant Google services are connected to your website. We integrate services such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Webmaster Tools, Google My Business and Google Adwords. We create a Google account for our client which we then hand over at completion of the job.
• Google Adwords: When we build our clients a website we set up free of charge a Google Adwords account. If they haven’t used Adwords on their site before we are able to get them $125.00 of credit. Our goal is to get them enough clients / sales in the first month to pay for their website. We are also part of the Google Partners program and are certified in Google Adwords and Google Analytics.