Since last year, Google is on a mission to make the web search more mobile-friendly. This comes at no surprise as users are now browsing the net on more than one device with mobile phones taking over the lead position that desktop enjoyed since the beginning of the Internet era. Therefore, in Google’s words, “You should get the best answer possible, whether you’re on a phone, desktop or tablet”.
This is the main reason why they are announcing an update to improve mobile search results that will provide increased effect of the ranking signal, helping users find more mobile-friendly pages with content relevant to the requested search query. The update will start rolling out at the beginning of May, 2016. Websites that are already set up as mobile-friendly will not be affected by this change, claims Google.
Image credit: searchengineland.com
According to TechCrunch, a webpage is “mobile-friendly” if it meets the following criteria detected by the Googlebot:
- Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
- Uses text that is readable without zooming
- Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
- Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped
Google also offers several tools for improving mobile-friendliness on sites, including the Mobile-Friendly Test and the Webmaster Mobile Guide. Guiding steps on how to improve a mobile site can be found of both of them. Additional questions regarding the update can also be posed at the Webmaster help forum.