While the event is being called “Mobilegeddon”, Googles latest update probably won’t have as big an impact as its Penguin and Panda updates earlier this decade. That’s because this most recent improvement doesn’t affect the ranking of sites viewed on laptops, PCs or even tablets. It only affects smartphone searches.
Advance Notice Given – Are You Ready for ‘Mobilegeddon’?
Google also gave webmasters plenty of notice of their proposed changes this time. Rather than springing the updated algorithm on unsuspecting web page owners — the way it did to disastrous results with Panda and Penguin — the giant Internet company gave nearly two months’ notice, plenty of time for web designers to optimize their web pages.
Mobile-friendly sites have large text, easy-to-click links and are resized to fit on smaller screens. Web sites with these features will now be ranked higher than similar pages that haven’t been optimized for smartphones.
More People Using Smartphones
The move comes in response to a shift in the way most people access the Internet. Today, an estimated 60% of all searches now come from mobile phones. Google’s objective is to provide its users with the best experience so that it is easier for them to click on the links they want to follow when using their smartphones.
Despite the advance notice, any Google update is sure to cause panic among webmasters. And this latest one is no exception.
Most major retailers and companies that depend on Google for much or most of their business probably were aware of the update and were able to make the necessary changes well in advance. But small business owners who don’t pay as much attention to such things could find themselves suddenly far down the search engine results pages for their keywords.