No need to panic over Google’s changes

No need to panic over Google’s changes to mobile friendly search

New Zealand businesses need to be wary of scaremongering surrounding Google’s changes to mobile search which is due to take affect on 22 April local time, because those searches will only affect traffic that comes to a website from smartphones – not desktop computers, laptops and tablets.

Responding to reports that thousands of New Zealand businesses could have their websites bumped down Google's search rankings, the CEO of Google Adwords certified partner Ark Advance, Chris Price, said he is worried that much of the hyperbole will send business owners – many whom can least afford it – rushing off to spend thousands of dollars to make changes that may not be necessary, certainly in the immediate future.

“This change is only going to affect searches from mobile devices, so if you are only getting ten per cent or less of your traffic via mobile devices, it really isn’t anything to panic about. The key is to check your Google Analytics to see where your traffic is coming from, and then to act accordingly.

“What Google is trying to do is make sure people searching on mobile devices discover sites that are suitable for that device. If your traffic from smartphones is very low and growth is marginal, you have a little time up your sleeve. This update will not affect traffic from desktop computers, laptops and tablets. It is smartphone specific.”

“If on the other hand, your website is getting most of its traffic from smartphones, you will most likely need to take some action. One of those actions may be to monitor how your keywords perform before and after the change. Not everybody has an unending budget to spend on their website, so it is a matter of priorities.”

Mr Price said however that everybody would have to change to mobile friendly websites in the not too distant future, but it is also important to remember that ‘mobile friendly’ isn’t necessarily mobile friendly; it’s just Google’s interpretation of what mobile friendly is.

He suggested businesses take the following steps:

* Visit Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test site and enter your URL. This test will tell you if you fit Google’s criteria for mobile friendly, and what needs to be done if you do not;
* Examine your website’s Google analytics;
* Understand where your traffic is coming from e.g. smartphone or desktop computer, and decide if your smartphone volumes warrant immediate change;
* If you are getting lots of traffic from smartphones, talk to your web developer about making a change – it may only require some simple short fixes.

“It is important to remember that even if your website is not mobile friendly yet, Google is not penalising desktop, laptop and tablet searches. It really only pertains to mobile devices at this stage, but bear in mind that you will have to change your website within the next six to eight months because the conversion is inevitable,” Mr Price said.
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