'Mobilegeddon' Redefines Mobile Searching

Google Launches Another Search Engine Game Changer

Business and webmaster are scrambling. Google's grecious 2-month tell-all warning us of Mobilegeddon evidently was not long enough, as many companies are seeing their rankings virtually dropping from the 1st page of Google.

For some, this won't impact them at all, especially those who have optimized for long-tail, low competition key phrases. However, for many others, this will mean more time, money and effor to restructure their website for the mobile world.

Quality, Mobile-Ready Websites Nuetral or Boosted In Search Engines

For most of my clients, we've seen a positive increase on traffic flow, and an increase in ranking positions. Not going to toot our own horn, but our goal is to make sure we don't cut corners and build around the white papers that Google releases and use the standards and recommendations the search engines provide to use for content and site engineering.

Let's look at the impacts of 'Mobilegeddon':

1. Only smartphones impacted. Google's search results on desktop and tablets will be unaffected by the new algorithm. But it's still a big impact. Mobile makes up about half of all Google searches.
    
2. Website operators had two months to prepare. Usually, Google doesn't pre-announce algorithm tweaks. But Mobilegeddon could have such a dramatic impact on mobile search results that Google opted to give businesses time to get ready.
   
   In February, the search company released a "mobile-friendly" test, which allows websites to see whether their sites are ready for the algorithm tweak. Mobile websites with unplayable videos, slow mobile pages and blocked image files will get knocked down a peg.
    
3. Algorithm changes can be nasty. Many businesses rely heavily on Google to send traffic to their websites. Google controls two-thirds of the U.S. search market, and when Google changes its code, companies have to scramble to relearn how to optimize their sites for Google's search.
   
   The stakes are high. The top spot on a search page typically attracts 20% to 30% of the page's clicks, according to Adam Bunn, SEO director of digital marketing agency Greenlight. After that comes an enormous tail-off: Positions two to three generate 5% to 10% of the clicks, and links below that receive less than 1% of users' attention.
   
   In 2011, a major Google algorithm change designed to promote high-quality content sent some companies into financial ruin. Two weeks after the changes, Mahalo.com laid off 10% of its workforce thanks to what CEO Jason Calacanis called "a significant dip in our traffic and revenue."
    
4. Websites can adjust on the fly. Unlike previous algorithm tweaks, websites can upgrade their "mobile-friendliness" at any time to appear higher in Google's search results -- it doesn't have to be done on Tuesday.
   
   Google also said that the algorithm tweaks will be rolled out over the course of a few weeks, so the changes might not immediately be noticeable anyway.
    
5. Some mobile-unfriendly sites could still get favorable search placement. Google's algorithm judges sites based on numerous criteria, of which mobile-friendlness is just one. The company's aim is to provide the most relevant results, even if it's to a site that isn't optimized for mobile.