New Google Website Rules

Well, they don't actually say they're going to delist all sites that are not mobile friendly. They do say that it is a ranking factor and your site will rank higher if mobile friendly.

April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Finding more mobile-friendly search results

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yakim1

8 years ago

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

Well, they don't actually say they're going to delist all sites that are not mobile friendly. They do say that it is a ranking factor and your site will rank higher if mobile friendly.

April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Finding more mobile-friendly search results

My partner used the term delisted so that is what I passed on. However, if you are listed on the first page for your key words and you are not mobile friendly, you could find your site drop from 1st page to page 10,000 if their are 9,999 other websites that are mobile friendly could be moved ahead of you.

Doesn't that amount to the same as delisting?

Just a thought!

I also just heard that if you use meta tags or a plugin to prevent google's robot from seeing certain pages, those pages are considered not to be mobile friendly.

Best regards,
Steve Yakim

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AdamJ85

8 years ago

Originally Posted by yakim1

you could find your site drop from 1st page to page 10,000 if their are 9,999 other websites that are mobile friendly could be moved ahead of you.

It won't be anywhere near that extreme. Google are saying that mobile friendliness will be taken as a ranking factor.

i.e. How well your site displays on mobile devices will be one of many factors that determine where your site appears.

Nobody knows how significant a factor it will be. But surely it won't be that non-responsive sites get entirely de-listed or put all the way behind all mobile responsive sites. At least not straight away.

That said, I do absolutely think that everyone should make their sites mobile responsive asap, if they aren't already. This has been coming for a while.

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BenRacicot

8 years ago

Originally Posted by AdamJ85

It won't be anywhere near that extreme. Google are saying that mobile friendliness will be taken as a ranking factor.

i.e. How well your site displays on mobile devices will be one of many factors that determine where your site appears.

Nobody knows how significant a factor it will be. But surely it won't be that non-responsive sites get entirely de-listed or put all the way behind all mobile responsive sites. At least not straight away.

That said, I do absolutely think that everyone should make their sites mobile responsive asap, if they aren't already. This has been coming for a while.

I'm gonna be that guy and disagree with you

If you look at the graphs of mobile traffic over desktop its been staggering. I've seen it in my own website, getting over 70% of my traffic from mobile devices. Just like Penguin this is going to be huge (IMHO).

Mobile has always BEEN a metric so the message Google is sending is that it will now be SEO suicide to have a desktop only website.. Just my opinions based on past year's experience.

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Antares330

8 years ago

what do you know, Google is mobile friendly

thanks for the share! I'll keep my eye on this... if it is true, it will open a HUGE market!
Justin

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JensSteyaert

8 years ago

Yeah that's a great share, wasn't aware of that. However, it maks sense though because mobile traffic is huge and keeps increasing, so there's no point of ranking sites on the first of the search engine when the site isn't optimized.

I'm surprised they didn't come up with this earlier actually.

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ksmusselman 8 years ago

Didn't know this so thanks for sharing!

I recently updated all of my blogs to responsive themes so I'm good.
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iAmNameLess

8 years ago

This is for mobile searches. This shouldn't apply to desktop searches just yet. It also likely won't impact local searches where pack listings are displayed.

Still, regardless of how much traffic you get with Google, you should consider responsive design for the experience of your visitors across various platforms.

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Saiah Davis

8 years ago

Ive been reading about the effects of mobile friendly websites and search engine ranking but I wasnt aware of the algorithm change starting April 21st.

Good post... thnx for the information.

Saiah

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ProfitFromMyDomain

8 years ago

Well see how long it takes them to hit every market.

i see a loophole coming

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ChrisBa

8 years ago

wow, this is another big change by the big G. At the same time, I guess this serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to continue to adapt and be able to adapt at any given moment to survive in this industry! Hope everyone makes all the appropriate adjustments!

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franchiseguy

8 years ago

Look at this as an opportunity Warriors - not a setback! This is a great way to beat out competition that is too lazy to stay on top of things. Getting mobile is not difficult so GET IT DONE!

Thanks OP for the heads up.

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ksmusselman

8 years ago

Originally Posted by franchiseguy

Look at this as an opportunity Warriors - not a setback! This is a great way to beat out competition that is too lazy to stay on top of things. Getting mobile is not difficult so GET IT DONE!

Thanks OP for the heads up.

Exactly! It took me a week to transition just one of my blogs over to a responsive theme and work with the header graphics so they showed correctly across a variety of mobile devices.

I had five blogs to convert, so I was at it for DAYS after the first blog was done.

I was holding out because I was hoping that the developers of the theme I was using would upgrade to a responsive design, but I got tired of waiting. So I found another theme and got my butt in gear.

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franchiseguy

8 years ago

Just a heads up guys - All my sites ARE mobile friendly however the Google mobile test shows the error "Failed to fetch the requested URL". The system is far from perfect as Alan Bleiweiss pointed out in a great article and on his FB. Worth a read.

First place to look tho if you get that error is apparently your Robots.txt file. We are ITP of doing that now.

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Jeff Burritt

Banned 8 years ago

It will be interesting to see if this update really affects big established sites. I suspect it won't, and will probably just be a way to weed out a lot of older smaller sites.

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discrat

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Jeff Burritt

It will be interesting to see if this update really affects big established sites. I suspect it won't, and will probably just be a way to weed out a lot of older smaller sites.

Of course not. Anyone who has some really padded pockets will not be effed with by Google

- Robert Andrew

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Chris Lee

8 years ago

Surprised this took so long to roll out. Unresponsive sites on a mobile screen are such a bad user experience. But I don't think it will be "havoc" like some of the other updates.

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DWaters

8 years ago

My email from Google reads in part -

"These pages will not be seen as mobile-friendly by Google Search, and will therefore be displayed and ranked appropriately for smartphone users."

I just read it this morning. I would have read it sooner but Google only sends me emails to a gmail account that is not my primary email address. They will not send anything to the email address that I actually use.

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warrenonline

8 years ago

How will Google know if a site looks good on a mobile device? There are some sites that aren't built on a responsive framework / don't redirect to a mobile-friendly version but look just fine on a mobile device (skinny/narrow fixed design, simple fixed designs floated left, etc., etc.). Will Google push sites like that down the rankings anyway just because their bots aren't picking up specific signs of mobile optimization on the site -- even though the site looks just fine on a mobile device anyway?

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bdenzer

8 years ago

Originally Posted by waterprism

How will Google know if a site looks good on a mobile device? There are some sites that aren't built on a responsive framework / don't redirect to a mobile-friendly version but look just fine on a mobile device (skinny/narrow fixed design, simple fixed designs floated left, etc., etc.). Will Google push sites like that down the rankings anyway just because their bots aren't picking up specific signs of mobile optimization on the site -- even though the site looks just fine on a mobile device anyway?

Remember that you are 99.9% dealing with robots. I have a simple site for my dad's business that looked perfect on every device I ever tried (and I tried quite a few) but the site still got the warning. Lucky for me it is only a 4 page site - my other sites are going to be quite a bit more work.

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allenshayzar

8 years ago

thanks for the share...does anyone here has an idea about Facebook Video that will soon somehow compete with Youtube?

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ksmusselman 8 years ago

Originally Posted by allenshayzar

thanks for the share...does anyone here has an idea about Facebook Video that will soon somehow compete with Youtube?

Haven't heard anything about that. I don't see FB taking over YouTube, but sharing your videos on both platforms means more exposure, right?
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jelipps

8 years ago

Facebook is currently working on a video search feature so they will (eventually) be able to compete with YouTube. And natively uploaded videos are given a much nicer treatment by Facebook than if you share a YouTube link. Uploading to both platforms separately is the best way to go.

Thanks to the OP for this post. I knew of the update already and have been selling a ton of mobile sites to new and existing clients. Didn't know the rollout date was 4/21 though.

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jodiesmitham

8 years ago

Two questions:

1. My current WP theme doesn't offer any upgrade to a more mobile friendly version, so I will probably have to change my theme. As I have spent a few years establishing my sites and am ranking very well (top spots) for my keywords, won't I be jeopardising my rankings by changing themes?

2. Has anyone used any plugins such as WPtouch?

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ifediri 8 years ago

@jodiesmitham
with few knowledge i have had in SEO, changing design/template won't affect your ranking as long as you don't change your theme often and when change theme you apply same meta tags/keywords where applicable.
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affilliate-script

8 years ago

Originally Posted by jodiesmitham

Two questions:

1. My current WP theme doesn't offer any upgrade to a more mobile friendly version, so I will probably have to change my theme. As I have spent a few years establishing my sites and am ranking very well (top spots) for my keywords, won't I be jeopardising my rankings by changing themes?

2. Has anyone used any plugins such as WPtouch?

No, I haven't any experience of the "fixer" plugins - I only use native responsive themes - have done since they became available a couple of years ago

However, here's some info on fixing responsive problems with a plugin:
audiencebloom.com/2015/01/5-wordpress-plugins-help-create-mobile-friendly-website/

The WP Mobile plugin looks good - and it's free
wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mobile-edition/

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SuperKC

8 years ago

Hehe.. it will be a minor ranking change. You have to understand that google is controlled by their ppc advertising base so when they make these 'rules' they are considering the financial fallout the backlash of delisting thousands of large corporate sites and hundreds of thousands of small businesses.. so they will introduce something and then ramp it up over a 3-5 year period. Google is all about delivering 'the best search results for its customers*"

* as long as it doesn't cause their phones to ring with pissed off business owners

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ifediri

8 years ago

i received a mail from Google webmaster concerning this too, my website is unfortunately not responsive, the mail told me about it and how to get it fixed, i know the way out is get my theme changed to a responsive one.
Many other big popular websites are already making changes too, including Alexa, this means Google is serious about their new rule.
If you have a website, check now for its responsiveness before April 21st, join the chorus

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Wet Wolf

8 years ago

I guess the next obvious question is how do we find someone capable of making our site mobile?

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Jack Hunter 8 years ago

Originally Posted by Wet Wolf

I guess the next obvious question is how do we find someone capable of making our site mobile?

Ideally you use wordpress and just switch to similar looking theme thats already responsive, which virtually all new ones are anyway.
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momeunier

8 years ago

guys, for all the websites I manage, the trend is very clear. Mobile first. It varies between 50 and 70% of mobile traffic. Some major players already turned their website to be mobile first. Check adobe.com for instance.

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andorod77

8 years ago

I believe I saw this before. I think that not having a mobile-friendly site will hurt your rankings but will not delist your site completely (maybe if your site has a very bad rank to start with, it will become almost invisible)

There is a way to check your mobile responsiveness and fix it in Google Webmaster Tools.

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gabelumagui

8 years ago

thanks for sharing this!

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MikeFriedman

8 years ago

Originally Posted by yakim1

I just found out from my partner that Google will be delisting all websites that are not cell phone responsive this April 21st. The website has to be completely responsive. One none responsive page will cause delisting of the website.

Your partner is an idiot.

Google never said any sites were being delisted or anything like that.

What they said is that starting April 21st, they will be taking into account whether or not a site is mobile friendly as a ranking factor (one factor out of over 200 that they use) for mobile search.

If your site does not get much mobile traffic, it is likely not something you will need to worry about.

If your website is not mobile friendly, you may see a decrease in mobile search rankings on or after April 21st. Every site that is mobile friendly will not automatically jump your site though.

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yakim1

8 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeFriedman

Your partner is an idiot.

Google never said any sites were being delisted or anything like that.

What they said is that starting April 21st, they will be taking into account whether or not a site is mobile friendly as a ranking factor (one factor out of over 200 that they use) for mobile search.

If your site does not get much mobile traffic, it is likely not something you will need to worry about.

If your website is not mobile friendly, you may see a decrease in mobile search rankings on or after April 21st. Every site that is mobile friendly will not automatically jump your site though.

Hey Mike,

I do take exception to you calling my partner an idiot. She is a much bigger and well known marketer than most people on this forum. She actually has some of Google's department managers as faculty members at her university.

All I know she has never steered me in the wrong direction and may have an inside scoop. Please refrain from calling people you don't know an idiot.

Zineb Ait Bahajji, a member of Google’s Webmaster Trends team, was quoted at SMX Munich as saying that the new mobile-friendly algorithm change will have more of an impact on search rankings than either Panda or Penguin, two of the largest and most impactful search algorithm updates Google has ever launched.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244175

Do you really want to take a chance on losing your ranking?

Best regards,
Steve Yakim

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MikeFriedman

8 years ago

Originally Posted by yakim1

Hey Mike,

I do take exception to you calling my partner an idiot. She is a much bigger and well known marketer than most people on this forum. She actually has some of Google's department managers as faculty members at her university.

All I know she has never steered me in the wrong direction and may have an inside scoop. Please refrain from calling people you don't know an idiot.

Zineb Ait Bahajji, a member of Google's Webmaster Trends team, was quoted at SMX Munich as saying that the new mobile-friendly algorithm change will have more of an impact on search rankings than either Panda or Penguin, two of the largest and most impactful search algorithm updates Google has ever launched.

April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

Do you really want to take a chance on losing your ranking?

Best regards,
Steve Yakim

I tend to be blunt and rub people the wrong way from time to time. Oh well.

If idiot is too strong of a word, fine. However, what she is saying is completely wrong and this is the way nonsense myths about SEO get started.

This is what you said she told you...

I just found out from my partner that Google will be delisting all websites that are not cell phone responsive this April 21st. The website has to be completely responsive. One none responsive page will cause delisting of the website.

NOWHERE has anyone from Google said they are delisting websites that are not mobile friendly or that a site with one page that is not mobile responsive will be delisted.

What Google said is that being mobile friendly will be a ranking factor for mobile search. It is one of many factors they use. Yes, it will effect more searches than Panda or Penguin impacted (which was 2-3% of searches). It still does not mean sites will be delisted, deindexed, or de-anything else.

Now as for a completely appropriate use of the word idiot...

If up to this point anyone had a website that got a fair amount of mobile traffic and their site was already not mobile friendly, they are a total idiot. That is just leaving money on the table.

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Changing Man

8 years ago

As someone else has mentioned, this could be a great marketing opportunity. I would imagine there are many local business owners who are totally unawar that this is coming.

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omegamedia

8 years ago

Points for Mobile Friendly Website
1. Font size Proper
2. Touch Elements are placed at proper distance
3. Content sized according to viewpost
4. Responsive website
5. Proper Viewports

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answergal

8 years ago

Indeed, it sure is important to have your website mobile friendly, not only to please Google but also take into consideration how many people are using their phones instead of their computers these days. I changed up mine a year ago because of this. Also on our social share buttons, if they are on the right sidebar, it will cover the content, so I had to change it from that to being on top and bottom of each article.

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raymagnetic

8 years ago

I actually received an e-mail from Google regarding updating one of my sites to a mobile friendly theme.

The rest of my sites seem to have passed the test however.

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jodyheath

8 years ago

It looks like this is the real deal. My site has been mobile responsive for a while. I definatly saw some jumps (not necessarily deserved) in rankings around the 21st.

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warrenonline

8 years ago

Under these guidelines that OP links to, does Google also consider sites that redirect to a mobile-specific version as mobile-friendly (the usual mobile.website.com or m.website.com thing) or are they looking more towards responsive?

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yakim1

8 years ago

Originally Posted by waterprism

Under these guidelines that OP links to, does Google also consider sites that redirect to a mobile-specific version as mobile-friendly (the usual mobile.website.com or m.website.com thing) or are they looking more towards responsive?

I believe the mobile-specific version will becounted as mobile-friendly if the article I posted a link to is correct.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244175

The answer is toward the bottom of the article.

Best regards,
Steve Yakim

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sunoy14

8 years ago

As far as I know, the non mobile friendly websites should still rank in the desktop version of google. Google has created a seperate search for mobile and that's where mobile friendly sites will rank better. That's still a huge part of the market. I heard 50-60% of google searches are done from mobile.

I hope all my competitors stick to non mobile friendly websites

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yakim1

8 years ago

Originally Posted by sunoy14

As far as I know, the non mobile friendly websites should still rank in the desktop version of google. Google has created a seperate search for mobile and that's where mobile friendly sites will rank better. That's still a huge part of the market. I heard 50-60% of google searches are done from mobile.

I hope all my competitors stick to non mobile friendly websites

When a high manager in Google is saying that the new mobile-friendly algorithm change will have more of an impact on search rankings than either Panda or Penguin, two of the largest and most impactful search algorithm updates Google has ever launched.

This sounds to me to affect more than mobile searches. This sounds like it will affect Google globally meaning that all searches will be affected and not just mobile.

Best regards,
Steve Yakim

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ProdigyMike

8 years ago

I received this email too. Your sites will not be delisted for a mere violation such as this. All websites on the Internet will likely never be responsive, unless made to be that way.

Just be sure to convert yours to be responsive before this date. The sooner the better as Google is already showing some mobile searchers a message detailing if the site in the SERPs is mobile friendly or not.

I see this as a prime time to take advantage of and gain over your competitors.

EDIT: I fully agree with Steve Yakim (yakim1) (2 posts up from mine) that this will indeed affect more than just mobile searches. Responsive is not just for mobile but for all screen sizes. There are still folks out there with Windows XP and a low resolution that are getting ugly pages because of their res.

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hardworker2013

8 years ago

Never heard of that, in any case my blogs are mobile friendly, because i use a wordpress theme
that is mobile friendly.

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Afiqfikri Daud

8 years ago

If it is true, I would be happy since I'm some difficulties when browsing websites that are not mobile-optimized. (when I'm using my tablet)

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Nirali

8 years ago

It is great to hear this, people are going to use mobile to browse the internet, and all the website has to be mobile friendly.

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Brent Stangel

8 years ago

I've been using responsive themes since they appeared. It only took one time trying to view one of my un-optimized sites on a cell phone to convince me.

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Kom

8 years ago

I Think MR Google Always have somethig new
because in the end they want Your MONEY !....To put On Google PPC !

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henryw1981

8 years ago

Due to the vast amount of money Google would lose I don't think they would delete 100's of company website for this violation. I do believe after some time has passed they may implement something like this. After all, it is Google.