How often do you use your smart phone to search for something? An answer to a question, a fact, or a particular website? If you’ve ever come across a website that is hard to read on your smartphone, this means that the site is not mobile friendly. But who really cares, right? When it comes to SEO, Google cares.

At the end of April 2015, Google will be making a change to its algorithm that will affect the search ranking of a website based on its “mobile friendliness”:

“Google will be expanding their use of mobile friendliness as a ranking signal….” — Google

What does this mean exactly? It means that if your site is not mobile friendly, it’s probably time to call up your favorite web developer and update your website design because you may lose 15-30% of your traffic.

Two billion people worldwide use smartphones and Google claims that in the U.S. alone, 94% of people with smartphones search for local information on their phones. So, having a mobile friendly site has become much more of a marketing necessity if your goal is to attract clients to your website.

If your not sure if your website is mobile friendly, not to worry — Google has provided you with the information you need to know to convert your website successfully.

Mark your calendar, because before April 21^st, here are a few resources you should take a look at!

• Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test – This will run you through a quick test to see if your site is mobile friendly. The guide below will help you (and your web developer) get started.
• Google’s guide to mobile-friendly sites – This will walk you through what makes a site mobile friendly (in Google’s terms), how to get started, and key information like tips, cost, and possible mistakes you can make when making the leap to a mobile friendly site.
• Mobile Usability Report – This report will give you a full list of issues that affect mobile friendliness. Even if you think your site is mobile friendly, I recommend you run this report. It would be a day-ruiner to think you are mobile friendly while you’re rankings are still taking a hit.

If you have questions about converting your site to a mobile friendly format, need some help getting started, or would just like to chat, feel free to give us a call!