On 21^st April Google will be implementing a new update that will help the ever growing percentage of Google mobile users. While there has been a lot talk and gossip about what the update will mean for site owners there are some key point to take from the conversation.

What is the April 21st Google Update?

In short, Google will be updating their algorithm to include mobile friendliness as a ranking signal.

This means there will be a significant impact on search results from mobile devices, across all languages worldwide. And by significant, I mean HUGE. Zineb Ait Bahajji who works at Google stated that these changes will be bigger than panda and penguin updates.

After April 21^st users should expect to see search results populated with results that are optimized for mobile devices. We have already seen examples of this in searches using Google’s mobile version which notify the user whether the website is mobile friendly.

Will This Affect Desktop Users?

According to Zineb, desktop rankings will not be affected by this update so you shouldn’t be worried about your desktop based search results just yet. The percentage of mobile users to your site will give you an indication of how important this update is for you.

Mobile traffic is growing year on year and there are now more people with a smartphone than ever before so even if you do have very low mobile users it’s still very important to make sure your site is mobile optimized.

Those with a high percentage of mobile visitors should treat Google’s April 21st update as critical.

How To Tell If Your Website Is Mobile Optimized?

Really easy, just type your url into their Mobile-Friendly Test and wait a few seconds. Hopefully you’ll get the same results as me.

What To Do If Your Site Is Not Mobile Optimized?

If you are using a blogging platform such as WordPress, Blogger or Tumblr you will notice that most themes are responsive and adapt appropriately to the devices it is being viewed on.

My advice would be to switch to a responsive theme if you are not already using one. This is not too much of a complex task usually does not require too much time to complete, or you can hire someone to do it for you.

If you would like some advice or need help to make your website mobile responsive in preparation for Google’s next update, feel free to drop me a message and I’ll try to offer some assistance.