This Major Google Change Will Affect Your Site

April 27, 2015

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In the immortal (and prophetic) words of Humpty Hump and Digital Underground: Stop what you’re doing, ‘cause we’re about to ruin the image and the style that you’re used to.

No really. This is big. And it just happened last week.

Test your site’s mobile-friendliness RIGHT NOW.

Not long ago Google announced that as of April 21, “we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” That’s a major change.

But what does that mean exactly?

It means that preferential ranking treatment is now given to sites that are “optimized” for mobile. It also means that having a mobile-friendly website will no longer be a nice option to give your customers—it’ll be absolutely essential.

The good news is it’s pretty easy to see if your site makes the grade. Check out Google Developers’ Mobile-Friendly Test, enter your site’s URL, and after a quick analysis, you’ll see where you stand.

Google will also show you a screenshot of what their system interprets your site to look like on a smartphone. (You can and should test several pages — not just your homepage.) If Google deems that your site isn’t compatible for mobile, they’ll give you a list of ways to fix the issues and improve its standing.

So stop what you’re doing, check out whether your site is “Google Approved.” If not, immediately change up your image. And your style.

Chico Orange

Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Photographer, Software Junkie, Digital Artist, Technology Enthusiast, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Shameless Self-Promoter, Technology Consultant.