Google to make major algorithm change to support mobile-friendly websites. Only 10 percent of Tampa Bay companies ready for the shift

TAMPA, FL. (March 23, 2015) – Absolute Marketing Solutions, a Tampa digital marketing agency that specializes in responsive website design and mobile applications, announced today that they will test websites for free to help companies determine if their sites are mobile-friendly. This is in response to a recent announcement on Google’s webmaster blog that it will officially update its search algorithm to consider “mobile-friendliness” as a ranking factor in search results starting on April 21. The official announcement states, “this change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact on our search results.” 

It is estimated that 90 percent of businesses do not have a responsive website or mobile site. Many of these businesses had no plan to invest in a new or modified website this fiscal quarter. However, the Google announcement certainly will lead to a heightened level of urgency.

Google’s algorithm changes may impact businesses without mobile-friendly websites in the following ways:

A drop in ranking

While a specific penalty has not been noted for non-mobile-friendly websites, through the algorithm change and the label change before it, it’s clear that Google’s focus is on improving mobile search. Mobile-friendly sites will surely benefit with a rise in rankings. If these sites are rising, non-mobile sites have to fall. And if you examine it logically, if your site goes from page one to three in favor of mobile-friendly sites, does it really matter if you are being penalized or only being reshuffled due to an algorithm change?

The creation of a mobile-only index

At SMX, Gary Illyes, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, told attendees that Google was already working on a mobile-only index, but he wasn’t certain when the project would be complete. When this happens, your company can either benefit from the increased visibility or find themselves left out of mobile search completely.

Obviously, the affect that the Google algorithm change can have on your site’s rankings is real and potentially detrimental to the public’s ability to find you. If you are uncertain whether your website is mobile-friendly or not, contact us. We can use our tools to see how your sites will be affected by Google’s algorithm change, free of charge.