Starting July 1, Google is rolling out the "mobile first index. This means you will quickly drop to a lower position in search results if you have a slow mobile-unfriendly website. This applies to both SEO and SEA. How and what, we discuss in this blog.
Scoring on quality
The height of positions in search results on Google, are determined by assigning quality scores to websites. These are based on user experience on the website and relevance. If your bounce rate (the number of visitors who immediately leave your website) is high, Google estimates that people do not find the web page interesting and relevant for their search query. As a result, the quality score and thus your position in the search results will drop. In SEA, the "bid" also affects your ad position. And as of July 1, the mobile-friendliness of your website will also play a major role in this.
Mobile first
That Google is taking this step is for good reason. Nearly 40% of all searches take place via mobile. More than 66% of people are annoyed by websites that are not responsive and load slowly.
In all their changes to the results page in recent years, Google has put the end-user experience first, and with this move to prioritize mobile-friendly sites, they are doing it again. After all, Google wants people to be able to find what they are looking for as easily as possible. It is important that the user has a good experience, which is why Google strives to show users relevant, high-quality websites.
How do you address that?
On this Google website you can test the speed of your website (on 3G). If your website does not come out well from this test, then it is time to take action to make your website faster. Here are three more tips for improving your website on mobile:
1. Fast loading time
Don't use oversized images and keep rich media, such as video, JavaScript, and Flash to a minimum for a fast-loading, mobile-friendly website.
2. Readability on mobile
The screen of a smartphone is small. With a responsive website that adapts to the size of the screen, you ensure that visitors can read the text without zooming in. This makes your website more readable and thus more user-friendly.
3. Create enough white space around buttons and links
Clicking buttons and links with your fingers on a touchscreen remains less precise than with a mouse on a desktop. Therefore, make your buttons large enough (at least 48×48 pixels) with enough white space around them (at least 48 pixels) so that users can click them easily.
If you want more tips give us a call!