Google Mobility Deadline

Google’s mobile friendly deadline of April 21st is fast approaching.  Google has been issuing notices for several months like the one below.  Note: You’ll only receive such a notice if you have signed up for Google’s Webmaster Tools.

google-mobile-ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s the good news!  Google hasn’t always been forthcoming in major changes it makes affecting search results, so giving advance notice has been a huge help for website owners.

What does this mean? If your website is a desktop version only and you haven’t created a mobile website your site will take a back seat to all the mobile friendly websites for users on cell phones.  The stats continue to climb for people searching on their phones, which is no surprise since we carry our cell phones everywhere.

This mobility issue also applies to blogs.  Google will flag your blog if the theme isn’t mobile ready.  This information isn’t provided this clearly, but revealed in the details.

Beyond Google there are other issues to consider for your mobile readiness.  Make sure your content is viewable on all devices. Flash won’t play on apple devices. Check all link redirects – make sure these are properly configured.  If all your desktop content is not on your mobile site redirect that page to an associated page and avoid an overload of links to the home page.