Google announced this month that starting April 21st, they will use mobile-friendliness of website as a ranking signal in search results. Why does this matter? Because your business ranking could be penalized for not having a responsive website.
In addition, Google will also factor in content from mobile apps when rendering mobile search results.
What does this mean for you?
Mobile-friendly sites will rank higher than those that are not designed for mobile devices.
What is RESPONSIVE?
- DESIGN: Make it big and CLEAN. The design of your website needs to carry your brand and content over to a mobile environment. Full-screen design, larger images, video all are good and you need to follow some basic responsive design standards….here are two quick examples of responsive sites:
http://www.liquidsunshine.in/
http://www.clifbar.com/ - AUDIENCE: Use a mobile-first strategy. Define your prospects and customers as using a mobile device to find and view your site. Content must be concise, clear and move a person to action or give the information they need fast.
- CODE: Yes, programming. Add the proper code to detect the device type, deliver smaller sized content, and break apart content on pages where it needs to for small devices. Of course there’s more coding talk, but this is a good start.
- PLATFORM: What’s under the hood. How content is delivered and managed really matters. Older sites have a harder time being responsive and unsupported website platforms open you up for hacking. Define your needs, then evaluate features first before making a decision.