Is Your Website Responsive?
As mobile phones and tablets increase in popularity, it has quickly become important for websites to be viewed “on the go.” While Google’s job is to push sites that provide a good user experience to the top of search, they’re now mandating that if a website is not responsive, you will be penalized. How do you know if your site is responsive?
Your website is responsive when it adapts to each specific device being used. If your website is not responsive, it will look the same on any device, only smaller on each screen. One-way to know if your website is responsive is to look at it on a mobile device or tablet. If the text, photos and embedded videos are small, causing you to have to pinch and zoom to see the information, then your site is not responsive. If you want to know for sure, please check out Google’s mobile friendly test. A good responsive design, will include all of the same content that you see on a desktop version, but the functionality (how you navigate from one page to the next) is user-friendly and specific to each device.
Example A: Non-Responsive
Here is a client we are in the process of converting to a responsive design. Their site is non-responsive, meaning, on smaller devices, the menu, the text and the formatting of the page are all the same. On a mobile device it’s difficult to read because the text gets too small. The menu is hard to click, so moving around the site is more challenging. Nothing on the page knows or cares what device you are viewing; it treats them all the same.
Example B: Responsive
Here is an example of a responsive site we launched in December, 2014. The site is easily legible across all three devices because it “responds” to each device. As the space becomes smaller, it replaces a traditional navigation with a mobile menu. The information is displayed differently on each device. Notice how the content under “How You Benefit” is wrapped and proportionally scaled on each device for easy reading. Now that’s responsive!
If you find that your website is not responsive, it is important to resuscitate it before April 21st.
That May Sound Harsh, But the Repercussions of Not Doing So Are Worse.
Today, more often than not, people are searching for companies, events, locations, etc. on their mobile devices and Google has caught on to this. As of tomorrow, April 21st, Google will be penalizing all sites that are not responsive.
This means that your website will be bumped down on the search listing, given a lower ranking, when people search for you using their mobile devices, not just in the United States, but all over the world, and in all languages. This ratings drop will cost you before you know it.
A Ratings Drop May Not Seem Like a Big Deal, But That’s Not True.
When you have a lower rating on Google your credibility diminishes because your business is passed up for a higher ranked company. You will also lose potential profits because users clicked on your competitor’s links since they saw them first.
A Responsive Web Design Has Many Perks.
Responsive website designs provide clarity. No matter what device consumers use to view your website, images and text should be easy to read. It is important for users to have the same experience across all devices.
By having a responsive website, your SEO efforts will pay off because the content is being served from one place instead of redirecting to a mobile site. This helps with backlinks too, as they are all going to one site.
This is really happening and is important. Don’t panic. You do not have to rebuild from the ground up. In fact, you may be able to take your current content and move it to a responsive platform quickly and easily. There is no doubt about it, it should be done ASAP if you want to be found in search.
Move with the times. Google says move your butt or get left behind!
At Lasso Moon we help you enter the new age of responsiveness and keep the equity that you have built. Call us today and let’s talk about keeping your status with search engines up to par!
