It happens every so often, and it’s happening again next month – Google’s search algorithm is changing, and with it, we’re likely to see some shake-ups in the way online content is ranked and indexed. Google will be rolling out their new algorithm over the week of April 21st, and it is reported to affect all sites that are deemed “not mobile-friendly.”

With an increasing number of Internet users turning to their phones, tablets, and other mobile devices to browse online, many companies have already noted a benefit in making their websites mobile-friendly. Some of the criteria that Google bases its mobile-friendly status on include:

• Avoidance of software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
• Use of text that is readable without zooming
• Sizing content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
• Placing links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped

How do you know if your site meets Google’s mobile-friendly qualifications? The easiest way is to use Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool. Simply type your website’s URL into the tool and it will quickly analyze your site and give it a score of either mobile-friendly or not mobile-friendly. Simple as that.

We tested one of our client’s sites to give you an example.

It’s important to note that this new algorithm will only affect mobile search results; meaning, the algorithm will seek to make mobile-friendly sites more prominent in mobile searches only. It will not affect desktop searches, according to Google.

To learn more about the new algorithm and to view a Q&A session from Google, click here.

What if My Site Isn’t Mobile-Friendly?

If you typed your URL into Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool and got the big red Not Mobile-Friendly result, fear not. There’s still time to take action and make sure your site sees all the benefits of this new algorithm change, but you’ll want to get started on the change now in order to meet that April 21st deadline.

The online marketing experts at corecubed can help get you pointed in the right direction and make sure you don’t miss out on the benefits of being a mobile-friendly site.