No the Internet sky is not falling and the search engine optimization end is not near, but you might think it was if you read some of the technology news headlines this week. Don't let the so-called "Mobilegeddon" fool you.
Playing off the theme of Armageddon -- a biblical end-times battle between God and evil -- some are calling Google’s latest wave of algorithm changes Mobilegeddon. Indeed, some headlines are asking if your site is ready for Google’s Mobilegeddon. Others are offering a Mobilegeddon checklist. Still others are sharing "everything you need to know" about Mobilegeddon.
There's plenty of hype, but what's the reality? In a nutshell, Google is working to highlight more mobile-friendly Web sites and more relevant app content in its search results. That seems to make sense in an increasingly mobile-driven world, but are the death knells ringing for organizations that don't have a strong mobile presence? We'll soon find out because this so-called Mobilegeddon begins today.
The Mobile-Friendly Scramble
"Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal," Google said in a February blog post that struck fear in the hearts of some Web site owners. "This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices."
Google gave Web sites owners a heads up nearly two months ago, along with instructions on how to create a mobile-friendly site. Indeed, Google equipped webmasters to get ready for the change by offering a Mobile-Friendly Test to see how the Googlebot views their pages. Google also offered a Mobile Usability Report in its Webmaster Tools to give webmasters a rundown of mobile usability issues.
Back in February, Google also said it was already starting to use information from indexed apps as a factor in ranking for signed-in users who have the app installed. The bottom line: Google searches will bring up content from apps that are indexed, giving them higher rankings in the results alongside mobile-friendly sites.
Is Mobile Less Useful?
In response to our story yesterday titled, "Webmasters Face Google Mobilegeddon," reader Kristen S. shared her perspective. She points out that mobile apps are not always as useful as their full-blown Web counterparts, and she believes Google is making an elitist move because companies need to be large enough and have enough money to invest in making their sites mobile-ready.
"I am sure it will be painful initially, and that the most mobile friendly will survive, but that is not how I like to judge the overall quality of something," she writes. "I will be searching for more legitimate search results elsewhere, and urge others to do the same."
She makes an excellent point about some mobile apps being less likely to have everything a user needs.
"If you only access your info from one of these sites, you may have no idea what is actually available on the more comprehensive, though less mobile-friendly site, or even how to find that information." For example, she writes, "I have to make sure I don't use the Domino's [pizza ordering] app if I want to access the Free delivery I have paid for. I need to go off my Bank of America app in order to access more detailed info like a list of bills to pay, and recent amounts. And my iPad keeps on wanting me to choose the more mobile-friendly versions of multiple sites, although these sites give me a very limited menu."
She ponders whether users will eventually be able to do much of anything on mobile devices due to a hyper-focus on mobile-friendly design over actual content. Instead, she suggests users should be allowed to choose what kind of info and sites they need -- shortened mobile apps vs. their full-site counterparts. "Mobile-friendly is nice, but it is just one piece of the big picture."
What Is Google’s Motive
We asked Greg Sterling, Vice President of Strategy & Insights at the Local Search Association, for this thoughts on the so-called Mobilegeddon. He told us Google is clearly catering to a mobile world in which a "meaningful percentage" of web sites still don't render well on smart phones.
"Google is doing this to motivate publishers to adopt mobile-friendly sites or responsive design," Sterling said. "The primary reason is to improve the mobile search experience. Presumably a better mobile search experience will encourage and increase usage, which has financial implications for Google."
So, is Google concerned about mobile users or its own search engine market share and the dollars that follow? Based on Sterling's take, it seems to be little bit of both.
"Google's search market share is greater in mobile than it is on the PC," Sterling said. "However, mobile search is not used as extensively on smartphones because the experience has been awkward or suboptimal. This is what Google is trying to address."
Source:- toptechnews
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