MediaTech Law

On April 21^st online behemoth Google altered its search engine algorithm to favor websites it considered mobile-friendly. This change, dubbed “Mobilegeddon” by web developers and search engine optimization (SEO) specialists, sought to reward sites that used responsive design and other mobile-friendly practices to ensure sites display well on smartphones and other mobile devices. Conversely, sites that were not mobile friendly would ultimately be penalized by ranking lower on mobile search results.

At the time, it was unclear just how large of an impact this change would have on companies’ appearance in organic mobile search results. A recent report by Adobe Digital Index, however, shows that the impact has indeed been substantial. The report determined that traffic to non-mobile-friendly sites from Google mobile searches fell more than 10% in the two months after the change, with the impact growing weekly since April. This means that non-mobile-friendly sites have dropped sharply in mobile search rankings, while mobile-friendly sites have risen in rankings, showing up higher on the mobile search results page. This change has had the greatest impact on small businesses that likely underestimated the value of mobile search traffic, and also affected financial services and law firms.

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Adobe analyst, Tamara Gaffney, found that companies which were unprepared for the impact on search results have tried to offset the decrease in organic traffic by buying mobile search-ads from Google. This tactic served to keep mobile users visiting their sites through paid ads. Substituting paid results for organic results may work in the short term but is usually not a sound long-term approach. A sustainable long term online add strategy over time usually consists of a balanced approach between building brand and consumer trust through organic search, and strategically supplementing that with paid ads.

What is a company adversely affected by Mobilegeddon to do?

One obvious course of action for a site that has suffered from Mobilegeddon is to become mobile friendly. This means putting in place a responsive theme, and implementing best practices that aid in mobile user experience. This includes using larger easier-to-read text and separating links to make them easier to tap on a smaller screen. Those who are unsure of how their site fares according to Google can use the company’s Mobile Friendly Test Tool to see what recommendations may be made to improve the mobile user’s experience.

With mobile search queries outpacing desktop, Google is sending a clear message that it is willing to reward sites that provide a good mobile experience, and businesses that fail to heed that message will suffer in the search rankings.