Google Mobile-Friendly Update: Are You Ready and How Do you Check?

SEO Google Algorithm Update

Earlier this year Google noted that a change in their search algorithm on mobile devices is coming. Sure enough, on April 21st, 2015, Google begin global roll out of their mobile-friendly update. The reason for this roll out is the following two key points:

More mobile-friendly websites in search results
More relevant app content in search results

What this update does:

Affects only search rankings on mobile devices
Affects search results in all languages globally
Applies to individual pages, not entire websites

Whether your mobile website is done in a responsive or an adaptive design, as long as you have a user friendly mobile layout, you should be fine. To check and make sure your website is mobile-friendly, Google has a tool that helps you diagnose your website and it is called the “Mobile-Friendly Test.

If you are a bit paranoid and wants to be 100% sure, you can use your mobile phone and Google search for your website. Once you locate your website look for the phrase “mobile-friendly” under your website’s Google search description.

For checking multiple websites a bit easier, I suggest using the developer tool in Chrome browser on your desktop. There’s a feature that allows you to view your mobile website as if you are on a mobile device. Here’s the link to Google Chrome’s device mode & mobile emulation in detail. Make sure you refresh often when in Chrome’s mobile view to ensure the page is loaded with the proper user agent spoofing and viewport rendering.

First open your Chrome browser
Hold “Control+Shift J,” or “Option+Command J” for Mac Users, to pull up the developer’s tool
On the top of the tool bar you should see a set of navigation tabs
Locate the icon that looks like a phone device
Click on the phone device icon
Select a mobile device (Apple iPhone 6 and etc)
Enter google.com in your browser’s URL text field
Search your website with its associated keywords
Look for the “mobile-friendly” text next to your website’s descriptions
Rinse and repeat

Until next time. Good luck!

KJ Ye