On February 26, Google announced that mobile-friendliness is now a stronger ranking signal than ever before, and the presence of relevant app content in the search results will also increase.
So, what does this mean to you? Well, now’s the time to make sure your website is super mobile-friendly. Here’s how to do it!
- Check your site’s mobile-friendliness.
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test has made this easy. Simply open the page, enter your URL and click “Analyze.” Google will then check your site and report whether or not it’s mobile-friendly. If your site qualifies, the tool will also return a screenshot of how your site currently appears on mobile devices. But, just because your current design passes Google’s test, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t still ways for you to improve, or things you’ll want to watch out for if you go through a website redesign in the future.
- Fix mobile-friendliness issues.
If your site fails Google’s mobile-friendliness test, the program will report the specific issues that led to this determination. These recommendations will give you a starting point for the changes you’ll want to make. It’s a good idea to explore the following areas to ensure your mobile visitors are as comfortable on your site as your desktop users:
Is your site responsive?
Today, there are simply too many different device shapes and sizes for a single static mobile site to fit comfortably on all potential screens. Google’s official recommendation is now to use a responsive website design. If your mobile-friendliness test reports that your mobile viewport is not set or uses a fixed-width, there’s a good chance that your site is not responsive and should be fixed ASAP.
Are scripts or other services interfering with your site’s usability?
If your desktop site makes use of pop-up lightbox scripts, exit intent banners, or other similar types of technology, it’s critical to make sure that that these programs can accommodate mobile users. There’s simply nothing more frustrating than having a banner pop up across your mobile web browser and being unable to close it. At the same time, be sure that your site avoids the use of file types like Flash that either don’t display at all or display incorrectly on some mobile sites. Google’s priority is to get people the information they want, as quickly as possible – and that won’t happen if your files are too difficult to load.
How easy is it to navigate to your mobile site?
Remember that what looks good on your desktop website may not work as well on a mobile device. Make sure any tap targets are at least 48 CSS pixels tall/wide, and that you have at least 32 CSS pixels of both vertical and horizontal spacing between each tap target. Doing so will prevent inadvertent wrong-page clicks that can frustrate users. Use a base font with a size of at least 16 CSS pixels. Keep the number of fonts used to a minimum and maintain appropriate vertical spacing between rows of text. Adjust any graphic elements on your site that are currently using a fixed width formatting, as this will prevent your content from sizing appropriately for the viewport.
Finally, even if you think you’ve set up everything perfectly, test, test, and test some more! Ask friends and family members to navigate from their digital devices, or invest in user testing that’ll record the actions and reactions of anonymous visitors to your mobile site. It may sound like a lot of work to figure out how to make your website more mobile-friendly, but it’s a vital part of keeping your visitors happy and maintaining your site’s search visibility.
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