Back in February, Google made a pretty hefty announcement that will affect your contractor business. In their next search algorithm update, they would place additional value on websites that are optimized for mobile.
This means your website needs to be designed to be mobile responsive, including smart phones and tablets. Why does this matter, you ask? Because Google plans to rank those websites that are adapted for mobile response much higher in their search algorithms.
This update, the “Mobilegeddon” as some are calling it, is set to launch tomorrow, April 21st. If you aren’t ready, your website could see a frightening drop in traffic.
Are You Prepared?
More importantly, is your contracting website prepared? Before you start to panic and curse unnecessary words at Google, take a breath…
There, now let me explain how this update could benefit your marketing efforts.
With people using mobile devices more and more these days, Google wants to start rewarding mobile-friendly websites. If your website falls into this category, then you will love this update.
Not sure if your website is mobile friendly?
Don’t worry, Google released this nifty tool for business owners, just like you, to test how responsive your web pages are. This test will give you two results:
- Result A (the one you want) being your website is mobile friendly.
- Result B: Your site isn’t quite ready.
So go ahead. Take the Mobile-Friendly Test right now. I won’t leave.
Making your site mobile-friendly
So how’d you do? If you passed, congratulations! You are properly prepared for Mobilegeddon. Get ready for a boost in traffic and start preparing your marketing so your contracting business can make the most of it.
If you didn’t pass, there are three solutions to your website’s mobile angst.
- Responsive Design – A website that has a responsive design is a website loved by Google. That’s because it doesn’t create two versions of the same site and mobile visitors see the same content as they would on a desktop computer. The website easily adapts between phone, tablet, laptop, and more. Having a mobile responsive design makes customers, marketers, and Google very happy.
- Dynamic Serving – Similar to responsive design, the dynamic serving approach keeps the same URL, but unlike responsive design, the HTML (your content) changes. Dynamic serving detects what type of device is browsing the site and makes “adjustments” to best fit the device. Google isn’t a big fan of this approach as it is prone to display errors to viewers, but it will pass Google’s mobile-optimization test.
- Mobile Website – The first approach marketers took for mobile optimization was to create a separate mobile site. This approach will still get you a green light from Google’s test, but it’s not ideal. Having a separate mobile site means two websites to update and maintain. Plus, Google has two sites to search through, something they aren’t a fan of either. This approach also leads to consumer confusion when they happen to click on a mobile link while on a desktop computer.
So get cracking! Get in touch with your website designer to make sure you’re ready for the “Mobilegeddon” update. If you need a new developer, speak with ours, Mvestor Media. This is a huge opportunity to boost your traffic and start raking in more leads.
There is more to a great website than being mobile friendly. Give us a call for a free consultation or download this free “Inbound Marketing Checklist for Contractors” to see how else you can improve your online visibility and get more leads.
To Your Inbound Marketing Success!
~Brodie
