On April 21, 2015, mobile search is going to change. This is because Google is releasing a new mobile algorithm that is designed to create better search results by providing searchers with only mobile-friendly results.
For the storage industry (as well as many other businesses), this is a big deal. While more and more storage facilities are getting online with a custom website for their business, many operators don’t know if their website is or is not mobile-friendly. As the launch date of Google’s algorithm is about to hit, there are three things storage operators should know.
1. A non-mobile-friendly website will drop you in mobile search rankings only. When the announcement of this new algorithm was made, many people in the online industry worried aloud if the algorithm would affect searches performed on desktop. The answer is no. While you may rank well in desktop searches, not having a mobile-friendly website will make your storage facility very difficult to find when a search is performed on a smartphone.
2. Test if your website is, or is not, mobile-friendly. Google has made it relatively easy for website owners to quickly test to see if their website is mobile-friendly. Before worrying and spending money, put your website into the test bar and see what you find. If you’re good to go, great. If you’re told your website isn’t mobile-friendly, then review your options.
3. Responsive or mobile domain websites are good. When it comes to choosing which type of mobile website you should use, Google has never been explicit in a preference. If you’re getting a website for the first time, consider using a responsive design. These often come with a smaller price tag as it’s just an additional style that will be added to the website that’s being created. If you already have a website and don’t want to overhaul what you’ve done, see if you can add responsiveness. If you cannot, then the creation of an m-dot website (m.url.com) would be beneficial.
Compared to past algorithm updates like Panda and Penguin—which affected only 12% and 4% of websites, respectively—the mobile-friendly change will have a much larger impact on mobile queries, according to Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, Zineb Ait Bahajji. Any business should take the time to verify that their site is optimized for mobile, and now is definitely a good time for storage facilities to invest in a mobile-friendly design.
