Time is Running Out: Yes, Google Will Penalize Non-Mobile Friendly Websites after Apr 21st

As you might have heard at your company’s watercooler, Google is planning on penalizing websites which it deems not mobile friendly. They have announced it back in February, but many business owners are only waking up to the news now.
The good news: you may not be too late to make the changes. At least if you take action before April 21st, which is when they will start reassessing the search rankings by this criteria.

Why Would Google Penalize Non-Mobile Friendly Websites?

It’s simple.
Google has always stood its ground about listing the highest quality search results for people.
They aim to serve users the best they can and maintain their position as the #1 search engine. For this, they have to make sure that said users don’t get annoyed by receiving search results on their phones which are in fact not mobile friendly.
It’s a changing world. People are in a hurry more than ever and they will not have time to pinch and zoom and position your non-mobile friendly website.
They want a quick, well-structured site that appears on their phones just as well as it does on desktop.

Everybody is on mobile – CC image courtesy: Garry Knight CC-BY 2.0

5 Common Questions About Google’s Algorithm Change

 
1. What does “penalize” mean? Will I have to pay a fine??
No, there is no dollar amount connected to Google’s penalty to your website. By penalty, Google means that they will de-rank your site and put mobile-friendly sites before you (yes, for example your competition).
This change can still effect your business’ wallet in the form of decreasing leads from Google, loss of revenue and authority in your industry.
2. How do I know if my site is mobile friendly?
One super easy way to test if your website is mobile friendly is to go to Google’s Developer section. Simply put in your website’s address and hit analyze. It will tell you if you are optimized or not.
3. Will Google really penalize my website? I’m just a small business.
Yes, it is very possible that Google will de-rank your website if they find that it is not mobile friendly. It may take some time or it may happen right away: you cannot know for sure. This is why you should be prepared.
4. I will not be able to get a mobile site before April 21st. What should I do?
It is much easier to rank well at the first place than having to restore your Google ranking from not adjusting to the new algorithm change. It is not every day that Google announces a specific deadline. Most of the changes happen without any announcement at first.
Ensure that you are working with a reliable SEO company who can advise you on the steps you should take.
5. I don’t want to risk Google penalizing my website for not being mobile friendly and I understand that I should not delay any further. What should I do?
You have two options: you can either get a mobile site or revamp your whole website to be responsive. As you probably see, the first one is a quick fix but the second solution secures your web presence better.
Either way, if your Google ranking is important to you, it’s best to talk to a professional SEO company with a well-documented history of high ranking websites.

Conclusion

Getting a mobile presence is long overdue for most small businesses. This is the perfect time for you to get ahead of the game and possibly rank better than before.
Top image credit: CC Robert Scoble on Flickr – CC-BY-2.0
 

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