The Google Mobile Update and Why Mobile-Friendly Design Matters for SEO

In the early days of Google, all searches were conducted on desktops. But as time went on and smartphones became more prevalent, Google had to update its algorithm to better cater to mobile users. The intentions of the searcher often vary greatly when searching on a desktop versus a mobile device. The mobile update meant that Google was taking a huge step in continuing to give web searchers the most relevant, up-to-date results. But for this to happen, sites without a mobile-friendly design had to make some pretty significant changes to their layouts and designs so users could find them. Here, we explain the Mobile update and what you need to do to ensure the update works for you.

Launch Date: April 21, 2015

By the spring of 2015, mobile search had been happening for a while. But many sites had neglected to optimize their sites for mobile use, without consequence. Google decided that it was time to put sites with no or poor mobile usability at lower ranks than sites with excellent mobile design. Before this change, they were frustrating their users and providing a terrible search experience, especially since much of Google’s search happened—and continues to happen—on mobile devices. The Mobile update put a stop to that.

What Google’s Mobile Update Impacted

The Mobile update is all about creating the best experience for users on mobile devices. For this reason, the huge triggers for this algorithm update are poor mobile usability. If a site doesn’t have a mobile version, or if a site does have a mobile version, but it’s hardly usable, your rankings will feel it.

• No mobile site – Back in 2015, but even more so now in 2021, searches done on mobile devices were increasing. Today, more mobile searches are done than desktop computer searches, and the gap is only widening. If your site doesn’t have a mobile version, stop reading and fix it today! You’re losing almost all of your potential business because people searching for your services or products on mobile devices aren’t able to find you.
• Poor mobile usability – The only thing that comes close to not having a mobile site is having a site that isn’t optimized or isn’t really usable. Slow loading speeds, a cumbersome and confusing layout, and even buttons that are too big or too small can result in a frustrating user experience.

How The Mobile Update Works

The hazards for the Mobile update are few, but they’re serious. If you don’t cater website design to mobile users, you can kiss your rankings goodbye. If your site triggers the Mobile update with the hazards we outlined above—if you don’t have a mobile site or if your site isn’t especially mobile-friendly—then Google’s web crawlers will find out and can punish you. You can be severely downranked.

How to Update Your Website Design To Take Advantage of The Mobile Update

At this point, you know the goal of the Mobile update: cater to mobile users. Mobile is the way of the future, and really, of the present. There are a few things you can do to ensure your site serves mobile users and ranks high on Google’s SERPs.

• Find out if you’re mobile-friendly – If you aren’t sure of the state of your site, you can always conduct Google’s Mobile Friendly Test. This test, like others, can give you some insight as to how easily a visitor can use your page on a mobile device.
• Choose a responsive theme – The responsiveness of your site is determined by how well it renders across devices, browsers, and screen sizes. These days, most new themes are mobile-friendly. However, you always need to check on this factor before you commit to one.
• Pick a reliable web host – Your host affects site speed and resources. For mobile, speed is crucial.
• Improve loading time – Having a site with fast loading times not only makes you shine in Google’s eyes, but it also provides a better experience for your user, which usually correlates with your bottom line. There are a ton of ways to speed up your site. You can start with compressing your images, optimizing (minifying) your code, and implementing caching.

Conclusion

Good news: The Mobile update works in real time. Once your site is mobile-friendly, Google’s crawlers can quickly update your ranking. To speed this up, request a recrawl from Google.

The best way to optimize for mobile is with an SEO audit, especially if optimization seems daunting. After a thorough review, you’ll know what to improve to enhance the mobile experience and reach more users.