How You Can Survive The Mobilegeddon

Christina Herrick

Christina Herrick

The Mobilegeddon is upon us. No, this isn’t a time to prepare disaster bunkers, or buy canned food in bulk.

But this is a good time to take another look at your business’s website because you might get buried in search results if you’re not careful. On the bright side, though, if you are prepared the change could be a nice plus.

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Late last year, Google announced a change in the way websites will be ranked in search results on mobile phones. Specifically, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it will appear lower in search results. People are using the term Mobilegeddon to describe the impact of these new search features.

That may sound like hyperbole but if you have a retail operation that relies on your website to reach potential customers, falling lower in Google search rankings truly could be a disaster.

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Here are a few things Google is looking for when it comes to making your site more mobile-friendly:

  • Avoid using software not accessible on mobile devices, such as Flash.
  • Make sure your website’s text is readable without users having to zoom.
  • Make sure the size of your page is displayed properly on the screen so users don’t have to scroll to zoom.
  • Make sure links are placed far enough apart so users can correctly tap on the proper link.

The first thing to do is to check if your website is vulnerable to being penalized in search rankings on mobile phones and tablets. Google has an online test to see if your site is mobile-friendly. If your site passes the test, congratulations. If not, the test will tell you what problems there might be with your website.

Here are  some tips to help you survive Mobilegeddon I found really helpful from the California Small Business Development Center.

  1. Remember what users visit your site for. Contact information, hours of operation, address, etc., should appear in your home page.
  2. Keep your navigation and design simple. If your website has a lot of drop-down menus and photos, it will be hard to display on a phone.
  3. Remember how your site will be viewed. I’ve read a lot of pointers that say your site should be “thumb-friendly” or “swipe-friendly” because that’s precisely how mobile visitors will navigate through your site.
  4. Less content is better to view. Mobile visitors want quick-to-access information.
  5. Think about the tools you use to build and maintain your site. Content management sources such as WordPress, Joomla, and Squarespace offer “responsive design” that can help your websites display on the proper device.
  6. Get some help. I had hoped to offer some inexpensive ways to convert your website, but if you have used an outside source to design your website, you may need to get some help. There are places like Fiverr.com, where you can bid for the assistance of creative professionals and that may cut down on costs. Our company has gone through the process of mobile-optimizing all of our websites (including GrowingProduce.com), and may be able to offer advice or help as well. You can learn more at Meister Interactive.

Whether or not your business’s website is impacted by the Mobilegeddon is entirely dependent upon what your website is designed for. You know your market best, and if you feel like the best way to reach your customers is through social media, perhaps making your website mobile-friendly is not a priority.

However, if you are near a metropolitan area and growing your business is important, you may need to upgrade sooner rather than later, or you may lose out on potential customers who search on their phone for pick-your-own or on-farm markets, simply because your website is not mobile-friendly.

Who would want to lose out on business all because of a website?

That truly would be Mobilegeddon.

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