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New Google algorithm changes: Your questions answered

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I’m afraid to say it, fellow marketers, but Google is at it again and changing things up to keep us on our SEO toes. The way that Google ranks websites is completely evolving and it all begins this week – a little bird told us that this is going to be bigger than Panda and Penguin put together.

The driving force of this change is mobile. The new Google algorithm wants websites, landing pages and blogs to be fully optimised for mobile – and if they’re not, then those un-optimised pages could find themselves seriously suffering in the page-view department.

Now that we’ve managed to scare you about this upcoming change, it’s time to take action. Meghan Keaney Anderson published an article on the Hubspot blog  last week explaining how to tackle the changes, which everyone is referring to as ‘Mobilegeddon”, she includes some frequently asked questions, which are relevant to all of us, so here they are:

 

1)    I'm not ready for a redesign. Do I have to do this now?

You may not need to fully redesign it now to comply with Google's requirements for mobile-friendly sites. What you do need to do is move your existing site, blog or landing pages to a mobile friendly platform.

 

2)    Is my site permanently penalised if I don't optimise for mobile now?

No – you can rebuild search credit after the fact. But you should try to move quickly on it because every day that your site isn't optimised for mobile is a day that you'll lose traffic. Estimates of mobile search volume vary by industry, but one thing researchers have seen is that companies with mobile-optimised sites triple their chances of increasing mobile conversation rate to 5% or above.

 

3)    What other elements should I consider in optimising my website for mobile?

In addition to ensuring that the site loads properly and the font is big enough for mobile, you'll want to consider the length of your forms on mobile devices. If you have a landing page tool that allows you to swap out forms for people visiting on mobile devices, build shorter forms into your strategy.

You also may want to think about how the behaviour visitors exhibit on mobile devices differs from that of desktop viewers and begin to adapt your content strategy.

 

For the full list of tips on how to arm yourself for 'Mobilegeddon', read Meghan Keaney Andersons's full story Google Algorithm Will Soon Reward Mobile-Friendly Sites: Here's What You Need to Know on the Hubspot blog.

Additionally, Google provides a little self-check tool to see whether your website pages are mobile-friendly – so click here to find out whether your business’ website is already ready to roll.

PS: If you have your website with us, and on the Hubspot COS, then your pages are already optimised! Congratulations!

If you are looking to boost your content to up those page views further then have a look our free eBook on content marketing – proven to make Google very happy!

 

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Topics: trends