Eric SealBig changes are coming in SEO.
You already knew they were coming. But now we know the upcoming mobile friendly update that Google is launching on April 21, 2015 is going to be big.
Zineb Ait Bahajji, one of Google’s Webmaster Trends Analysts, announced earlier this morning at SMX Munich that the upcoming algorithm for mobile-friendly websites was going to be big.
How big exactly is anyone’s guess. But we do know from a tweet by international SEO consultant Aleyda Solis that the mobile friendly update is reportedly “going to have a bigger effect than penguin and panda.”
Bigger than Penguin and Panda. Let that sink in for a moment.
Clearly, this is different from the minor, unreported updates they’ve sprung on us over the past couple years. Google gave us a date to expect this mobile friendly update, but now they’ve also given us a size.
Since their appearance, Panda and Penguin have had a profound impact on internet marketing trends. They’ve decreased rankings for hundreds of businesses while raising others. They’ve even contributed to how search engine marketers operate. From content creation to link building, these updates shook up the way SEO used to operate.
Will this upcoming mobile friendly update have a similar effect?
We think so. Because the more users rely on their smartphones and tablets, the better these sites should ideally perform. Users value mobile friendly website design because it gets them immediate answers. Instant gratification. Users are finding mobile friendly websites an invaluable part of their everyday lives. Mobile sites offer them better user experiences no matter where they are.
So, yes—if you’ve been looking for the ideal mobile friendly view or wondering how to test mobile site for your business, now’s the time to kick things into overdrive. The best mobile friendly websites will be those that provide users the most consistent and convenient experience.
Solis also confirms that the mobile friendly update will “not affect desktop results.” We knew the mobile update would only affect mobile search, but we’re grateful for any solid answers we can get at this point.
That’s not to say you should ignore your desktop traffic. Truthfully, you need both to culture a healthy, thriving business based on desktop and mobile friendly web design. The mobile friendly movement suggests you need to cover your bases—both on the go and at home.
What do you think about the hubbub Google’s making over this mobile friendly algorithm? How big an impact do you think we should expect to see?
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