The internet giant has been dropping hints about this for months. At a recent tech conference, Google signalled that it will move to offer two sets of search results – one for mobile users and another for desktop users. Google will update results for mobiles more often. Desktop users might be less than thrilled as their results will be less up-to-date than mobile users.
Right now, Google does basically have two versions of search results. The mobile version is based on the desktop version, however. Soon, the mobile results will have their own algorithm. The result will be that you can enter the same search terms on your desktop and mobile and get different results. The mobile version will be more up-to-date.
The world is going mobile and has been moving very clearly in that direction for some time. A couple of years ago, you were safe enough thinking that mostly young, trendy people were online on their mobile devices and older consumers were searching and shopping from their computers. The times have changed. Computer sales are falling, and device sales are growing. Studies have shown that older consumers are now catching up to younger ones when it comes to using mobile devices to go online.
This is a big nudge to make sure your website is geared to mobile. That means more than just having a basically ‘mobile-friendly site. Google is going to pay more attention to mobile websites, and it seems a safe bet that those will have a strong advantage in the search results.
It’s time to rethink how your audience uses your site. They aren’t just planning their outings at home well in advance. Your audience is on the go, looking for what is near them right now. They want functionality they can use on the fly. They want to make reservations online while they are out and about. Potential customers are checking if it is worth going to your brick-and-mortar location right now, not tomorrow. People want to see and access information quickly and easily on small screens.
Your website needs to serve your audience’s changing requirements. That’s why we need to be constantly asking if the site’s user experience is excellent. What was excellent last year might not cut it this year. If you’ve been putting off updating your site to make it as mobile optimized as possible, give us a shout at Matrix and we can help you get your site up to speed.
What is mobile optimisation? Our expert team are more than happy to help!!
By Irene Hislop
By Conor McCaffrey