Last month, we discussed the news that Google was planning on rolling out a mobile-friendly algorithm that would have a major impact on mobile search results when someone is performing a search on a mobile device. In other words, if your website is not responsive and does not automatically format to the size of the user’s screen, then you could be taking a hit in the rankings for mobile searches. The rollout of this new algorithm happened on April 21.
Since the search giant’s announcement, a lot of e-marketers have had a lot of questions as to how this new algorithm will affect their e-commerce. First off, if your site tests well with Google’s mobile-friendly search algorithm then you should see nothing but a positive boost from the algorithm. So, if you’re site is already responsive you should be in good shape. On the other hand, if you’re site is not responsive and does not test well with Google, then not only will you not benefit from the update, but there is a good chance that your competitors’ websites will get enough of a boost to knock you down in the rankings.
So the next question is how bad will a site be damaged if it’s not responsive. For starters, Google itself has called the update significant. How bad it will affect your particular site will depend on a couple of factors: the percentage of brand traffic keywords that are driven by mobile search compared to how many are driven by non-brand keyword traffic; and how many visits and sales you receive from mobile searches.
That means if your target audience is using more generic searches that match your keywords, instead of branded keyword searches then you could see a negative effect on your rankings. On the plus side, if you have a lot of branded searches then you’re site might not be hurt as bad because visitors are more likely looking for your site anyways. The new algorithm will not have any affect on paid searches or on desktop searches.
If this all seems confusing, don’t worry. NUVEW can help. We understand how SEO works and we know how to help you make your site responsive. We can help you redesign your website and we can makes sure that potential customers are still finding you in the rankings. Click here to learn more about creating a responsive website and click here to learn how we can help you with SEO. Call us today at 219-323-3343 or contact us online.
