Updated: February 28, 2019
To go along with the start of a new season and a new quarter, Google will soon be launching its new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm.
Google made the announcement in a recent Webmaster Tools blog post, saying:
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.
How big will the update impact search results? Let’s just say it’s not something businesses can afford to ignore. In fact, Google’s Zineb Ait Bahajji was quoted saying that the new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm will have a bigger effect than the Panda or Penguin updates did.
Before you go into panic mode, we recommend using Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to see if your site is up to snuff. If it is, congratulate yourself on staying ahead of the game this time; if not, find out what steps you can take to whip your site into shape fast here and here.
Check out these other top stories and articles pertaining to the internet marketing industry:
SEO
- Are you suspicious that your site has been slapped with a Google penalty? Consider using these 8 tools for recovering your normal organic search rankings.
- If you are still waiting, wondering why your site traffic hasn’t increased dramatically after a penalty was supposedly lifted, this post will walk you through several possible causes.
- So you’ve audited a website, ran a keyword search, optimized its design, copy and links, and you’re finally starting to see results. Now what? Moz’s Rand Fishkin is back for another Whiteboard Friday – this time on what the day-to-day tasks of an SEO look like.
- We could all use a few more hours in the day. If you’re running short on time, take a look at these productivity tools used by fellow SEOs to help them make better use of their precious minutes on Earth.
- Read this sage advice from a 15-year SEO veteran and marketing firm manager about the dangers of trying to micromanage your SEO firm.
Website Design
- Redesigning a website can quickly turn into a gigantic mess. This checklist from Search Engine Watch will help you make sure nothing gets forgotten and maintain your sanity in the midst of a big redesign project.
PPC
- Spring is in the air, which means it’s time to dust off your PPC accounts and start fresh. This checklist can help you do just that.
Search Engine News
- Google Webmaster Tools has now adopted those hated “not provided” keyword results shown in the Google Analytics’ organic search traffic report due to internet browsers who are logged into their Google accounts.
- Google has been a naughty search engine – that’s according to an “inadvertently disclosed” report by the Federal Trade Commission in which Google is accused of manipulating the search market “to the favor of its own services.”
- Yahoo has officially closed up shop in China. They recently shut down its last facility in Beijing without so much as a sigh or tear from the Chinese market.
Social
- Learn more about how Google and Twitter’s new partnership (announced back in February) will impact the world of search and social.
Content Corner
- Giving up control over your content isn’t an easy thing to do. However, switching over to user-generate content and letting your clients and their customers do the talking for you can pay off in the long run.
- There’s beauty in brevity – that’s essentially the message this blogger tries to convey in her article about the art of concision.
Did we miss anything? Leave a comment below or feel free to drop us a line. We’ll be back with a new SEO Roundup in a couple weeks to cover the latest headlines and stories from the internet marketing industry.