Web design is continuously evolving to adapt to the latest consumer trends and technological advances. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – particularly the method by which Google determines the search ranking of a site – has a huge influence on web design best practices.
Last year, Google made a significant alteration to their search algorithm to change the way it treats websites that are not designed to display correctly using smart phones and tablet devices.
From the 23rd of April 2015 Google altered their complex algorithm, so that whether a website is “mobile friendly” or “mobile responsive” is now a ranking factor for Google search.
This change in practice was fuelled by the increased availability of high speed internet connectivity and Wi-Fi facilities in public places, which has seen the use of internet on mobile devices soar.
Research shows that more than 50% of web searches are now made using a smart phone or tablet. Therefore, Google is reacting to a trend that has made having a mobile responsive website a sensible, even essential choice for UK businesses.
The change was designed to improve the quality of search results for consumers. Now, businesses that do not have a mobile responsive website risk a decrease in visits to their site as they will appear lower on searches.
Many Businesses Are Still Not Up To Date
New or recently updated websites by a well-informed web designer were unlikely to be affected by this algorithm update. However, there were a large number of businesses at the switch over date that had unresponsive websites.
Although many businesses have taken action, more than eight months after the changes were introduced we are still meeting and getting enquiries from businesses that have websites that are currently unresponsive.
How To Check If Your Website Is Affected
If you are worried about whether your website is “mobile friendly” then you can quickly check using the Google website using the mobile friendly test.
If your website comes up as mobile friendly, then that is great as your business’ Google ranking is not affected by the mobile responsiveness of your website.
However, if Google says that your business is not mobile friendly, then it is not too late to update your site.
Jigowatt & Mobile Responsive Websites
Jigowatt have been building websites to be mobile responsive since 2008 and will continue to adapt our work to advances in technology.
If you are unsure what these changes mean for your business, then give the friendly team at Jigowatt a call.