Mobile use is getting set to eclipse fixed-internet use. Right now around 80% of people online use their smart phones to search the web. This number is expected to increase as smart phone use continues to grow and people become more accustomed to a mobile lifestyle.
For this reason alone you need to make sure your website is mobile friendly. Here’s another reason: Google is now giving preference in their mobile rankings to sites that are mobile friendly.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Google is a behemoth in the search world. They control 67.5% of all search engine traffic, and a startling 87.1% of the mobile search market. This means that if your site isn’t mobile friendly, then you can expect a sharp dip in traffic.
Is your site mobile ready? Check one of your web pages using Google’s free tool, Google Webmasters to test speed and responsiveness.
Take note that just because one page on your site is mobile ready doesn’t mean the whole site is. That’s because Google analyzes and ranks pages separately according to the following four characteristics:
1. Responsive design
This means your website should automatically detect the user’s device, and then resize graphics, columns, tables and other elements accordingly. In other words, your site should look great whether it’s displayed on a 22” desktop screen or a small 3” smart phone.
2. Readable text
Google checks that your text is large enough to read on a mobile device without zooming.
3. Unpopular software
Most smart phones don’t support software like Flash, so Google will rate your site as unfriendly to mobile users if your website displays flash.
4. Tap-able links
If your links are too close together, then users on mobile devices won’t be able to tap them. Increase the distance between links to make your site more mobile ready.
So how does your site rate?
If you’re like most small business owners, you have some work to do to ensure your site is mobile friendly. You might even have a responsive design, but you could still get penalized for using Flash or having links that are too close together.
Our team of web designers here at Hire a Wiz is standing by and ready to modernize your site to meet Google’s (and your visitors’) specifications. Whether you just need a few tweaks or you’re thinking this would be a good time to do a complete overhaul, you’ll want to get in touch with the Hire a Wiz development team today to discuss your web project’s needs.