18 Jan
If you’ve been waiting for a reason to upgrade your website, this is it! Google announced earlier this week their intention to implement a new mobile search algorithm designed to give preference to faster sites.
Google calls it the “Speed Update” and not everyone will feel the impact. If your site measures up in the speed department, you’ll likely see no change in how you’re ranked. According to the search engine giant, only a “small percentage” of sites, the ones who consistently rank low when it comes to loading times.
This is yet another step by Google to improve user performance. It was only back in 2010 when they stated their full intention and focus was on desktop user speed, but it was only a few short years later in 2014 when the number of mobile users surpassed those who used the site on their desktop.
Due to this shift in user preference, many industries have had to change the way they create and display ads. They suddenly had to be both desktop and mobile friendly, a lesson Facebook instantly learned when the mobile revolution took off. They weren’t prepared and had one of the worst online mobile apps on the internet.
Realizing how quickly things were changing, Facebook, went into action and continues to find new ways to give mobile users the best experience possible. Now Google is jumping in and rewarding the sites with faster speeds.
The message is clear: if you’re not actively working to improve mobile reach, your competitors will get the traffic. It’s okay though. You have plenty of time to prepare your website for the change. The new algorithm isn’t set to be in place until July 2018.