Make My WordPress Site Mobile-Friendly

Mobilegeddon Has Arrived – Are You Ready?

As of April 21, Google rolled out changes to its mobile site rankings.

The internet dubs these new changes “Mobilegeddon” because they impact businesses like yours.

Are we worried? No.

Should you be? Maybe. Here’s why…

In a Nutshell

If your WordPress site is not mobile-friendly, you will be penalized in Google’s mobile search rankings.

While we could go into a long discussion on Google’s algorithms, how search works and what the experts are guessing about, that’s the ONLY thing you need to know.

Desktop Versus Mobile Search

Since its inception, Google’s had one main objective: To optimize the internet for its end-users (e.g. you and your customers).

In the past, this has meant focusing on page load times, keyword relevance, quality content and readability.

Today, optimizing sites for visitors also means providing users with sites that will adapt to multiple devices.

Recent estimates suggest that up to 60%* of all Google searches are done on a mobile device. That’s no small number and it will continue to grow.

While your site’s mobile rankings are more important today than ever before, their impact on your business will continue to expand if the current trends in mobile device usage continue. And we believe they will continue. Is your site ready to respond to these changes?

The Importance of Search Rankings

Hopefully we’re stating the obvious at this point. Your site’s search rankings are critical to your business’ online success.

The data consistently shows over time that the number one result of a search will bring in about 33% of that keyword’s traffic.

google results page rank average traffic share chart
Traffic Share by Rank on Google Search Results

This number continues to fall exponentially as the list goes down. The last result on the first page of a search receives only 2% of that keyword’s traffic.

If your site shows up on the second page of a search, you’re all but irrelevant for that keyword.

What Is Responsive Design?

Until recently, web designers focused on creating fixed-width sites based on the average size of a desktop monitor.

In the year 2000, that meant a width of 800 pixels. By 2005, as we enjoyed larger monitors, the size increased to 1,024 pixels. In any case, the width of a website was standardized, or “fixed.”

Today, with the majority of internet users viewing sites on multiple devices of varying sizes (smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops), a fixed-width site just doesn’t cut it.

In order to properly view a fixed-width site on a smartphone or tablet, the user has to “pinch and zoom” their way through the site. It’s a lot of work.

Here’s an example of a non-responsive site:

Mobile Example
Non-responsive, pinch-and-zoom on mobile

As you can see, when viewed on a smart phone this site is unreadable without zooming in. The reader is then forced to scroll back and forth continually. Again, it’s a lot of freakin’ work.

Now let’s take a look at a responsive site:

Responsive WWF Example
Top image = desktop, bottom left = tablet, bottom right = smartphone.

You can see the fluidity of the design across the three devices. THIS is what Google wants to see and, quite frankly, it’s what your site’s visitors want to see, too.

For the past several years, Google has consistently and strongly recommended responsive design over all other solutions for developing mobile-friendly sites.

Protect Your Business Today

The market’s call to create a mobile-friendly site has been around for years. It’s no secret, and Mobilegeddon is no surprise.

But it’s been too easy for site owners to ignore the issue…until now.

The best way to protect your business is to maintain or improve upon all of your rankings in Google Search.

As of today, the only way to do that is to make sure your site is 100% mobile-friendly.

Luckily, IvyCat has got your back.

Just follow these two easy steps and avoid the Wrath of Mobilegeddon:

Step 1 – Test Your Site

Determine if your site is mobile friendly by taking Google’s Mobile Friendly Test.

But don’t just test your homepage. Google is looking for page-specific friendliness meaning the entire site needs to pass their test.

If you’re unsure or don’t have time to test each page, we can determine your site’s mobile-friendliness for you.

Step 2 – Contact Us

Fill out the form below and request a quote today.

IvyCat has been developing responsive sites for our clients for over three years now. We know how to do it, and we know how to do it right.

 

* Source Reference: ComScore.com