The launch of Google’s new update for mobile phones has led many to coin a new term for it – “Mobilegeddon”. The mobile friendly update is Google’s way of letting the world know that it recognizes the emergence of mobile phones as the main tool for browsing. In fact, mobile phones are providing intense competition to desktops and laptops in terms of the preferred tool for browsing. Reports indicating that Google was about to launch a mobile-friendly update began emerging in February 2015. Google made the announcement much earlier, unlike what it had done before, to enable publishers and web designers to ensure their sites were mobile friendly.
Google says that the new update shall only affect mobile searchers. Mobile friendly websites and pages shall enjoy increased boost in rankings with regard to mobile search results. This means that websites with mobile friendly and that adhere to the conditions of the new update shall enjoy better ranking when visitors conduct searches using their mobile gadgets. However, anybody who is concerned about the impact of the new update on desktop searches should relax. The new update shall have no bearing whatsoever on desktop searches. Secondly, desktop rankings shall not suffer because of the release of the new Google mobile friendly update.
The mobile friendly update shall have no bearing on searches done by tablets. The new update shall serve people conducting searches using mobile smartphones only. Currently, ITU indicates that there are more than 4.1 billion mobile phone users around the world. In the early parts of 2014, Internet usage through mobile phones surpassed PCs or desktops for the first time. It is not lost on e-commerce companies and web designers that audiences or customers are now migrating to mobile and using desktops for limited purposes only. The Online Publishers Association says that 99.5% of all Internet users access information or content through their mobile phones.
Sixty-three percent use their mobile phones to access the Internet. The number of mobile users checking their emails has risen to 62.1 percent. The number that listens to music through their mobile phones has risen to 49.2 percent. The users making purchases using mobile phones has now risen to 15 percent, which is the same for people who read books online. The shift to mobile phones or usage has had a significant impact on B2B. Based on these numbers, it is easier to see why Google introduced the new mobile friendly update. The update seeks to make browsing that much simpler and uncomplicated for users.
With the new Google mobile friendly update, it is now possible to check whether a particular website is mobile friendly or not. Under the search results, a mobile friendly website shall feature a mobile friendly label. Google has also availed a new tool with which anybody can perform a mobile friendly test. The test seeks to ascertain whether the site is mobile friendly or not. Some people might feel a bit confused by the fact that Google already launched mobile ranking algorithm in 2013. The initial algorithm dealt with the ease with which a user could access a mobile website. The new update seeks to improve issues regarding usability of the site.
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