Did you know that approximately 55% of traffic is now coming from mobile devices as opposed to 45% from Desktop computers.
(based on a mere 77 billion US website visits - Stone Temple Consulting 2017)
This changes the landscape as far as Google is concerned because their search algorithm currently crawls the desktop version of a website only!
(FYI Google's market share is somewhere between 74% - 94%, depending on your source. It's nearest competitors are significantly behind)
Google is now committed to changing it's searching focus to a mobile centered approach. This makes sense to us, the big thing is when? They are taking their time to get it right, as they say, they don't want us to freak out! Google are also concerned about keeping their search ranking/results working well as they currently do in Desktop mode. Testing is already underway but an exact release date has not been set, as yet.
What does this mean to you?
We'll keep this very simple so read on…
- The mobile version of your website now takes center stage
- We have to ensure that all crucial information is available when Google crawls your website.
- If you have a dedicated mobi website or a mobile sub domain, it might be time re-evaluate it and change over to a responsive setup.
- Responsive websites are even more crucial to your online success than ever before.
- This is the method of web development that Stream uses so if you've had a website produced by us in the last 4 years or so, you should be good to go. If not talk to us.
Worst case scenario is a drop in your search ranking. As we all know it's a long, hard slog to work your way up the ladder, losing all that ranking power would be devastating to any business.
Don't discount Desktop
Desktop still rules when it comes to engagement however, users tend to stay longer and engage better with your content and go deeper into your website. Bounce rates are lower and the overall experience is so much better. Desktop is still great for your brand!
How do I know if my site is a responsive website?
View it on a cell phone or make your browser narrow to see if the content realigns and stacks nicely. If you are having to scroll around horizontally to see the content then your website cannot be responsive.