Incredibly, Most Businesses Are Still Slow To Amend Their Online Presence To Suit The Latest Important Algorithm Update From Google
On April 21 2015, the 800 pound gorilla of online searches, Google, changed once again their algorithm. This time the efforts of the algorithm change were directed towards giving users a better experience when searching on a mobile device.
More and more searches are carried out these days on mobile devices, so it only makes sense that Google would place some emphasis into making that experience better for people. Upwards of 60% of online searches are today done on a mobile device.
For local businesses the algorithm is possibly even more important. A Google search on mobile searches showed me reports stating numbers of upwards 80% of all searches for local businesses are done on a mobile device.
Again this makes a lot of sense. A lot of us look up things while on the go. More often than not, we look up the things on the go that we are interested right here, right now. In other words, we are “hot” buyers at that moment.
Perhaps we need to look up the nearest dry cleaner, find out what’s showing at the nearby cinema, look up a menu of a restaurant we are considering heading to, look up the opening hours of a certain store or perhaps even make an instant call to a vendor or service.
A lot of previous algorithm changes that we have seen from Google and that have been discussed heavily from time to time, seem to have been more directed at eliminating “holes” in the system that made way for “black hat” operators to optimize their sites for traffic.
In other words for the serious local business, these algorithm changes usually had little if any negative effect on the search results and ranking of ones business and thus most of us didn’t have to pay much attention to them.
No, it was mostly the marketers who had used certain ‘tricks’ to rank high, while in fact not really giving the visitor much value or relevance when they got there.
In other words, the ones who used to suffer from a Google algorithm update, typically were the black sheep. Most of us just try to run our businesses and run these with high integrity and no use of suspect “black hat” tricks up our sleeves, so we usually weren’t affected, but actually may even have gained better rankings while the tricksters lost theirs.
So all was good.
But this time it’s different.
Not that it’s bad, for in fact it’s actually really good.
You just have got to ensure that your website is mobile friendly and you are well on your way.
If your website is not mobile friendly, well, then you are not either making it a pleasant experience for a visitor to your site from a mobile device. And you do want to make it a pleasant experience for anyone coming to your place of business, right?
You would have thought a lot of businesses would have updated their sites up till the time the new Google algorithm came into place on April 21 2015, but an article on the subject actually, comparing with the status of websites two months prior, stated that only 4,7% more websites had done so.
Even today more than a month following the Google algorithm update and most businesses have still not made any changes.
What does that mean for you?
It means that you actually stand an even better chance of getting found IF you ensure that at least your website is mobile friendly. When the other businesses don’t wake up and get their act together, they are eliminated from the mobile searches and that reduces the competition, so now it’s actually easier for you to get some traction. Just be a little smart about it and you just might see yourself on the first page of Google when you search on a mobile device.
Again for local traffic it might just be about 80% of all the relevant searches.
Would you say that would be important?
I think we can all agree that’s pretty important.
If you need help, one of my companies, Amazing Ideas Inc., helps businesses get up to speed with their websites and turn them mobile-friendly so they have a fighting chance of getting found and get more new customers walking in their doors. In fact our service palette can get you onto the first page of Google and help you stay there. We would love to help you, so give us a call on 888-988-2489 and let’s talk.
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