Well, actually .. what we are going to be talking about here is ethical theft !
In our previous blog article, we talked about the impending Mobilegeddon:April 21 2015, when Google is updating it’s mobile search algorithm which will mean your website will decrease in Google search rankings if it is not mobile-optimised.
So what do you do in preparation for Google’s algorithm update?
Well, it depends on a number of factors:
1. Age of website
Clearly if your website is new, then it’s unlikely that you will want to fork out any more significant dollars for a total re-design to compensate for the upcoming update.
In this case, it may be more beneficial to consider a separately customised mobile website, which would be uniquely mobile-friendly, less content, and is often easier and cheaper to design.
The downside would be that potentially higher maintenance costs would need to factored into OPEX budgets due to the need to update multiple versions of your website.
2. Type of website
The less bespoke your website, the more solutions are available for mobile optimisation. WordPress, Joomla etc are obvious candidates here.
Highly customised, and extremely large websites that are not currently mobile optimised will have a higher degree of difficulty when it comes to re-design.
Admittedly, there are some tempting shortcuts in the marketplace for certain types of websites. For example, there are some plugins that can be used if your website is a WordPress site. Similarly, there are some quick-and-dirty coding shortcuts for pure HTML websites.
But ultimately, you get what you pay for. Sure, these shortcuts will go some distance towards fully optimising your website, but the price you pay will be limited customisation, such that often the site looks worse than it did before !
Regardless of the age of your website, and type of site, the message is still the same: you need to get this right, and not just for ranking reasons either !
So .. what do you do ?
Google’s recommended configuration for a mobile optimisation redesign is a single website utilising responsive design .
A responsive design is highly flexible, and works on all devices and can be a much better return of investment in the long run. However these tend to be the more expensive option and converting existing non-responsive websites much more challenging.
Once you have calculated how many pages on your website need updating, and if you have the capability or access to an in-sourced web development team, then you should immediately redesign your website so that you meet the Google algorithm performance indicators for all mobile users.
Once your website has been re-designed and is smartphone & tablet friendly, the website site map will need to be resubmitted to Google through your Google Webmasters Account. Then Google will send out its spiders to re-crawl your website and ultimately update its mobile search index. Google will let you know if you have any other pages on the website that are in need of improvement.
If your mobile-friendly test (https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ ) confirms that your website need updating and you do not have the capability to make your website smartphone responsive, then we invite you to get a quote from our team.
We promise :
1. Your website will begin performing like a thoroughbred on every smartphone and tablet device (and thus will not be penalized by Google’s Mobilegeddon algorithm update).
2. Your customers will benefit from finding your updated website looking, feeling, and functioning much better than it does now.
Want to know how to prepare of Mobilegeddon ? Contact Hymie on 0414-329674 or @ hymie@webmentum.com to find out how we can help you get the edge on your competitors.
