Mobilegeddon. Pretty sure this is not the first time you’ve heard of it.
But if it is, or if you’re a little fuzzy on what exactly it is, Mobilegeddon is a change to Google’s Algorithm, which takes effect as of April 21.
As you know, Google rules SEO in this world. If someone Googles your blog, and you don’t come up in that first page, you might as well not exist, as it’s very seldom that someone digs deeper (into page 2 and beyond).
Google’s algorithm is complex, and for a reason. If we all knew exactly what would make our pages #1, then we’d just plug that in. So Google is constantly tweaking and adjusting the alogrithym, for that exact reason.
What we know about blogs is that they tend to have pretty high SEO, because they do several things naturally that Google likes, including:
- fresh, updated content on a regular basis
- lots of links in (backlinking) and links out
- keywords
- Images
However, with this latest update to the Google Algorithm, if your blog is not mobile-friendly, you could be a big loser when it comes to future SEO.
We know that people use their smartphones more and more these days–in fact, smartphone usage now outweighs our use of desktop computers. So, it’s important that your blog is easily viewable via a mobile device. If it’s not, there’s a very good chance it won’t get seen.
Here’s how to make your blog mobile-friendly:
- Test. Go to this mobile testing website and plug in your blog’s URL. If it comes back as mobile-friendly, you’re good to go.
- Choose a different WordPress theme. When you are searching for new themes, make sure you choose one that lists itself as being responsive. That just means it grows or shrinks in proportion to the screen it’s on. You can read more about responsive design here. (BTW, one of my sites, this one, was deemed to not be mobile-friendly–although you can view it on a mobile device. I’ve been thinking it’s time to do a redesign. :-S)
- Create a mobile-only version of your site. You can do this quite easily by installing a plugin. I’m using WP Mobile Edition. It’s a band-aid solution until I’m able to redesign the site.
Additional reading: Google Mobile Friendly Websites – The Complete How-To Guide
How to Make your Blog Mobile-Friendly