Did your website pass the Google mobile-friendly test?

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

First things first. In a recent update to its search algorithms, Google will be ranking certain websites higher than others if they are mobile friendly, for searches originating from smartphones. This means, that for desktop users, your ranking will not be affected (you can take a sigh of relief now).

But, take that breath back. According to recent statistics, around 80% of users worldwide use their smartphones to search the internet. In addition, the amount of time users spend on their smartphones just exceeded the amount of time users spend on their desktop computers. This is why Google decided to address the issue of mobile ‘unfriendly’ websites.

To check if your site is mobile friendly, take the Google mobile-friendly test itself by clicking here. If your website passed the test, then you’re good to go! Your website will rank higher whenever users search on Google on their smartphone.

If your website failed the test however, I suggest you continue reading…

Why isn’t my website mobile friendly?

Lets start off with this: if your website uses flash, or any other technology that doesn’t work on mobile devices, you will definitely fail the Google test. This includes all websites built with Flash, or includes any Flash elements, for example. In this case, users browsers your site will have missing elements on the page, or nothing at all, if your site is built entirely in Flash.

However that is not all. Websites not optimised for smartphone usage (that is, responsive websites) will also fail the Google test. However, a point to note here is that your website will still work correctly on mobile devices, however fonts will be small and buttons will be difficult to click. Thus it would not be an ideal situation for mobile users.

The solution

To pass the Google test, and start ranking higher in mobile searches on Google, you would need to make your website responsive. We’re here to help! We can help you analyse your website and suggest improvements to you to pass the Google test at no cost. Click here to contact us.