Mobile devices now account for more than half of all searches on the web, even though desktops reigned supreme for most of the internet’s short history.
With the popularity of smartphones, mobile search Growth, Google had to reevaluate its approach to ranking mobile-friendly sites.
This has led to a concept known in the SEO community as “Mobile Gordon. “
Is it that scary? Is mobile friendliness a ranking factor today?
This chapter will investigate these claims and shed light on the impact of mobile friendliness on search rankings.
Disclaimer: Mobile friendliness is a ranking factor
It is said that websites designed to adapt to mobile screens can benefit from a ranking boost from websites optimized for desktop only.
This statement stems from the fact that a greater percentage of searches are conducted on mobile devices, and the understanding that Google aims to best user experience.
Since most users search on mobile devices, it ensures the best user experience by providing results for both mobile and desktop devices.
Before mobile devices became the primary way people searched Google, the pages users landed on were often not optimized for their smartphones or tablets.
Users are understandably frustrated with visiting pages they cannot easily navigate.
Google found itself with search quality issues at hand.
Without any motivation, waiting for webmasters to make their site compatible with all devices can take years.
Google can’t force sites to be mobile-friendly, and it’s unfair to threaten sites with outdated designs.
Instead, Google is going the other way by rewarding domains that choose their own mobile-friendly designs.
The ranking advantage gained by mobile-optimized websites has spurred the mass adoption of responsive web design.
It’s rare these days to do a mobile search and land on a page that isn’t optimized for smartphones.
Is that because mobile friendliness is a ranking factor?
Or are there more mobile-friendly sites on the web?
This is most likely a combination of the two.
This is what the evidence says.
Evidence of mobile friendliness as a ranking factor
Mobile Gordon Not a myth (though, to be clear, the Mobilegeddon name didn’t come from Google). It happened on April 21, 2015, it was announced two months ago.
When Google rolled out what was officially called a “mobile-friendly update”, it statement:
“As we pointed out earlier this year, today we are starting to roll out the mobile-friendly update globally. We are improving the ranking of mobile-friendly pages in mobile search results.
It’s now easier for searchers to find high-quality and relevant results, where text is readable without clicking or zooming, click targets are properly spaced, and pages avoid unplayable content or horizontal scrolling. “
A year later, in 2016, Google Announce This will strengthen mobile-friendly ranking signals:
“Today we’re announcing that, starting in May, we’ll begin updating our mobile search results to enhance our ranking signals to help our users find more relevant, mobile-friendly pages.”
Mobile-friendly updates are only intended to affect mobile search results.
Mobile-friendly sites don’t get any boost when users search on desktop.
While mobile friendliness is a ranking factor that strengthens over time, Google reminds us that user intent is a stronger signal.
Pages that are not mobile-optimized can still rank in mobile search results if they best match what users are looking for.
“Keep in mind that search query intent is still a very strong signal — so even if a page with high-quality content isn’t mobile-friendly, it can still rank well if it has great relevant content.”
However, Google recommends Mobile-First Indexing Best Practices Documentation:
“While a mobile version of your page is not required for your content to be included in Google’s search results, it is highly recommended.”
Mobile Friendliness as a Ranking Factor: Our Verdict
Mobile friendliness is a confirmed Google ranking factor.
To be fair, sites that aren’t easy to navigate on mobile are at a disadvantage when it comes to search.
Businesses with outdated website designs should strongly consider upgrading to stay competitive with Google.
Featured image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Magazine
