Larger Than Penguins… Pandas?
The afore mentioned “Mobilegeddon”, also known as Google’s Mobile Friendly Update had web masters and site owners nervous after Google’s Zineb Ait Bahajj had been quoted saying that the impact from this update will be larger than both the Panda and Penguin algorithms during SMX Munich. In addition, Google’s Gary Illyes was also quoted mentioning the size and scope of “MobileGeddon”, also stating that the impact is going to be bigger than that of Penguin and Panda. With all the hype and clamor going on about the Mobile Friendly Update, the new algorithm was viewed as being massive in scale potentially dangerous to many web sites.
So by now you might be asking just how bad is it? Or was “Mobilegeddon” just a typical update with no real effect? A study was done measuring the effect that “Mobilegeddon” had on the Internet and who its potential victims were. The study monitored the top ten results for 15,235 search entries in the week April 17th (one week before the algorithm officially rolled out) and once again during the week of May 17th. Not only did the study gather ranking information but it also determined which of the sites being monitored had utilized mobile friendly layouts or implemented a “responsive design”. With this information we can now see the true nature of “Mobilegeddon” and how Google’s newest update will change the landscape of the Internet.
The Aftermath
Now the information has been analyzed, we get a pretty clear picture of what happened and what is going to happen in the coming months. The top sites that already utilized a mobile theme or a responsive design went up in rankings but not by much, while the top sites which did not incorporate a responsive design fell in ranking. Its also important to note that study tracked which sites had implemented mobile designs after the algorithm’s roll out and how Google ranked them after their changes were made as well. It turns out that the sites which were previously not mobile friendly but then made the switch to using a responsive design went up in ranking, even more so than the higher ranked sites that already incorporated mobile friendly layouts. But why? Well the short answer is that the sites with the highest rankings already utilizing responsive themes simply did not have much space to grow in terms of rank.
New Beginnings For Web Development And SEO
Now that some time has passed since the Mobile Friendly Update has rolled out and studies have been done, its safe to say that Google is all but demanding web sites to incorporate mobile friendly and responsive designs. They’re doing this so that anyone can find what they’re looking for across the ever growing collection of devices and new ways we have to connect to the Internet. This means that in order for your business or message to stay relevant in the eyes of Google, you must utilize a responsive design in your web site or it will get left on the Internet wayside while your competition speeds past all the benchmarks you’ve set for yourself. This new update can be a blessing or a nightmare search engine optimization, commonly referred to SEO. This how Google will decide who lives withing this new world they’re creating. Here at Logic Web Media, we’ve guided many Long Island business’s and site owners through the labyrinth that is the Google ranking process. We’ve been at the forefront of Mobile Web Design for years now so for our clients this new update has skyrocketed their sales and brand awareness.