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Post by Daniel on Mar 11, 2015 7:52:38 GMT -5
Google will be changing their algorithm to put higher weight on mobile-friendly sites. It's unusual for them to announce an algo change before rolling it out, but this one was apparently a big deal. Here's more info: Publishers getting left behind on mobileHere's a tool you can use to check your site for mobile-friendliness: Google mobile-friendly testIf your blog or web site is uses "responsive" design (many WordPress themes are responsive), you are probably in good shape. This is another area where indies have an edge over the big publishers who adjust to change slowly. ETA: The algorithm change is expected to go into production on April 21. |
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Post by Pru Freda on Mar 11, 2015 8:25:03 GMT -5
I suspect that mine won't meet the requirements. A friend built it for me and goodness knows how. The test didn't work for me - it couldn't find the site!
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Post by Suzy on Mar 11, 2015 9:24:39 GMT -5
My new website didn't pass but my wordpress blog did. I have sent a message to my webdesigner to see what he says. He should know about this
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Post by Suzy on Mar 11, 2015 9:38:30 GMT -5
This is what my designer said:
All blogs pass. Blogs are designed to be text based. 92% of websites will fail. Unfortunately websites for content cannot reshape like Google want. Some companies build two versions of their site. Web and a mobile version. If you look at the website you linked to when in a phone it's 6 words wide and very very long with no fancy images etc. That article is written by a blogger and not Google. Google keeps in mind the types of website and if it actually views ok in a phone. This is based on flow. Which yours does. His blog states these are his opinions so honestly don't worry.
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Post by Suzy on Mar 11, 2015 9:43:29 GMT -5
He actually worked at Google and specialized in algorithm changes. a few years ago, before he started his own company.
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Post by Daniel on Mar 11, 2015 11:08:12 GMT -5
This is what my designer said: All blogs pass. Blogs are designed to be text based. 92% of websites will fail. Unfortunately websites for content cannot reshape like Google want. Some companies build two versions of their site. Web and a mobile version. If you look at the website you linked to when in a phone it's 6 words wide and very very long with no fancy images etc. That article is written by a blogger and not Google. Google keeps in mind the types of website and if it actually views ok in a phone. This is based on flow. Which yours does. His blog states these are his opinions so honestly don't worry. That's a relief, although I disagree with "websites for content cannot reshape like Google want." They can reshape if they are built within a responsive framework. However, changing that can be a "from the ground up" redesign of the site. Responsive design is why non-blog sites like MailChimp are mobile-friendly. Maybe those are the 8% he mentioned that do pass. |
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Post by Suzy on Mar 11, 2015 11:16:47 GMT -5
I don't know, Daniel. But I trust him. And I don't think we need worry.
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Post by Suzy on Mar 11, 2015 16:00:13 GMT -5
This is what my designer said: All blogs pass. Blogs are designed to be text based. 92% of websites will fail. Unfortunately websites for content cannot reshape like Google want. Some companies build two versions of their site. Web and a mobile version. If you look at the website you linked to when in a phone it's 6 words wide and very very long with no fancy images etc. That article is written by a blogger and not Google. Google keeps in mind the types of website and if it actually views ok in a phone. This is based on flow. Which yours does. His blog states these are his opinions so honestly don't worry. That's a relief, although I disagree with "websites for content cannot reshape like Google want." They can reshape if they are built within a responsive framework. However, changing that can be a "from the ground up" redesign of the site. Responsive design is why non-blog sites like MailChimp are mobile-friendly. Maybe those are the 8% he mentioned that do pass. I agree with my web designer, who said (and I checked) that my website, and most others look fine on a mobile phone. I don't think this new Google thing is too worrying. In any case, a website address is used as much in signatures and in our profiles as in google searches. |
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Post by lindymoone on Mar 14, 2015 11:44:18 GMT -5
My website is on Wix, and it gives me the option to make a separate mobile friendly version. I will do that when everything is in the proper place!
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Mar 14, 2015 12:17:00 GMT -5
Frankly, I think the Google aspect of this is a non issue for most of us and here is why.
If someone is searching for your author name and there are not a lot of other people by that name, your results are going to come up whether your site is responsive/mobile friendly or not. Why? Because Google is all about relevance and your site will always be relevant for your author name as long as you use it in the title and such.
Same with book names (unless there are a lot of books with the same name).
Now, if your author site is targeting a certain genre keyword rather than or in addition to your author name, then, yes, you will need to do whatever it takes to gain that extra edge because at that point, you will encounter enough competition to warrant the extra time and attention.
This is probably more of an issue for non-fiction than fiction authors. Most people rarely go to Google's main search engine looking for fiction books. They go to Amazon or Kobo or iTunes or even Google Play depending on what type of reader they use.
I used to do SEO for a living and I don't even bother with half the stuff I did for my clients because there's relatively little competition for my author name and I rank for it every time without bothering with tiresome meta descriptions and all that jazz.
I've talked to quite a few authors who have tried Adwords for their books and they say that they get basically bupkus when it comes to clicks from the search network...why? Because people don't search Google much for fiction books.
Now, that's not to say you should ignore the concept of optimizing your site to show up well on mobile devices because you do want readers to see your site displayed as nicely as it can be. But as far as jumping on this because of Google? Bah, Google schmoogle. (IMHO)
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Post by Suzy on Mar 14, 2015 14:41:06 GMT -5
I agree, Laura.
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Post by Daniel on Mar 14, 2015 20:08:05 GMT -5
I agree that some of us might not have much to worry about. It depends upon how much of your traffic comes through organic search and how much competition you have for the search terms visitors are using to find your site. In my case, about 40% of my traffic comes from organic search, so an algorithm change could have a significant impact, again, depending upon the search terms and whether those visitors are finding what they are looking for. There are a lot of variables at work here.
However, the fact that Google is emphasizing mobile tells us that mobile is increasingly the way people are navigating the web. That is important information, all other considerations about SEO aside. The bottom line is this: if your site does not look good on mobile devices, you should consider doing something about it.
It doesn't matter how or why visitors are reaching your site. What matters is what they see when they get there.
At the moment, about 85% of my traffic comes in on desktop devices, 9% on tablet, and 6% on mobile. (Your blog may be substantially different.) My blog is already mobile-friendly, but if it weren't, I probably wouldn't be too alarmed yet. Most tablet users would see the full width of my site in landscape mode, so that would leave only 6% of users who would have a crappy user experience.
Anyway, do what you think is right. This Google thing is just a heads up.
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