How to Survive the Google Mice Update
Google is at it again. Previously, the company published recommendations to help webmasters ensure that their websites are mobile-friendly and highlighted the most common configuration mistakes they’d noticed on mobile websites.
However, Google never clearly stated that mobile-friendliness would become a ranking factor, as previous announcements had treated mobile-friendliness as more of a usability issue. This all changed when Google announced via its Webmaster Central Blog on February 26, 2015, that it would be expanding the use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal:
“Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.”
To give this update practical context, if your website or the websites of your clients do not carry the mobile-friendly label in mobile search results, after April 21, you would have a serious issue on your hands. If your website has not been properly configured for mobile devices, chances are, it would disappear from the radar for any Google searches performed on mobile devices.
The truth is, you and your clients cannot afford to ignore mobile users. More and more people are using mobile search. Websites that fail to show up on Google’s mobile search results would experience serious traffic losses. Serious traffic losses would lead to diminished lead capturing, nurturing, and conversion.
This is not an overreaction—this is real. When Google sets a date for a major algorithm change or rollout (and describes the impact as “significant”), you can bet your bottom dollar that they mean business. Google is determined to display search results that carry the mobile-friendly label at the expense of websites that don’t.
Google Mice is Set to Make Mobile-friendly Sites to Dominate Mobile Search Results
I took the liberty of calling this Google update “Google Mice”. Why mice? “Mice” stands for “Mobile Cue”. That mobile-friendly label Google implemented on mobile search results is the cue for mobile users to go ahead and click, and expect a nice mobile browsing experience.
Like an adorable, quick and nimble, little mouse, each website on a search result that carries the mobile-friendly label would be able to squeeze itself into any mobile device, no matter how small it is – and display properly. In fact, a mouse can squeeze itself into any hole as long as the hole isn’t smaller than the size of its skull.
As of today, mobile search returns a mix of results comprised of those WITH and WITHOUT mobile-friendly labels. This means that mobile searches returns mobile-friendly and non-mobile-friendly websites. Now, what do we need websites that are not mobile-friendly for?
Come April 21st, Google will make mobile-friendliness a ranking factor for mobile searches. Search results will be dominated with websites with the mobile-friendly labels. Like an adorable, quick and nimble, little mouse, each website on a search result that carries this label would be able to squeeze itself into any mobile device, and display properly.
With the upcoming update, we’ll be seeing more “Mobile Cues”, or quick and nimble, mobile-friendly websites on search results – or MICE.
This will have a significant impact on you!
Do not Lose your Valuable Cheese. Do not Lose your Mobile Traffic!
You’ll need to possess this mobile cue for your website and the websites of your clients on or before April 21, 2015. With mobile search surpassing desktop search (and still growing) means that the majority of traffic will increasingly come from smartphones and tablets. You cannot afford to ignore mobile users. You cannot afford to ignore Google Mice.