Main Points to Note Regarding Google's Mobile-friendly Algorithm Update on April 21, 2015
Google's mobile-friendly algorithm runs on real-time on a page-by-page basis, meaning as owners, you can update your webpages anytime, one page at a time, logically starting with pages or whole sites that have not yet been mobile-optimised. This means that you can correct any errors that prevent you from being mobile-friendly straightaway and as soon as Google registers the change your site will begin to benefit from this new, algorithm change (ie. no lengthy delays to see an improvement in the mobile-friendly ranking of your pages). Click on the link above to find out more...
Desktop Signals (Page Speed) Important for Mobile Ranking
Desktop page speed is still important and won't affect your mobile ranking if your desktop page is fast. So don't neglect your desktop pages. Click on the link above to find out more...
Online Tools To Test Website / Blog For Mobile-Friendliness
- Google's Mobile-Friendly Test / Tool
If you wish to analyse your web pages, use Google's free tools here. This test will analyze a URL and report if the page has a mobile-friendly design. The advantage of using Google's MFT tool is that you don't have to give away your email address like some sites demand of you in order to access the tool on their site!
- Google Webmaster Tools
You need to sign up for this first before you can access and use the above Google mobile tool. For a detailed discussion on "How to Find Mobile Problems In Webmaster Tools" visit the blog.
- Page Speed Insights by Google (PSI)
Here you can test for issues with the speed of a website or blog on a mobile and desktop. You do NOT need to sign in to use this tool (click on the PSI link above) which will score you for SPEED (out of 100), and give you very detailed results about what the issues are, how to fix these, and links to more info for each issue. PSI also shows which rules you have passed. - PSI also scores you for USER EXPERIENCE (out of 100). You get all this feedback on speed and user experience in a detailed report, superfast, after clicking 'Analyze'.
- OR alternatively sign into Webmaster Tools and click on 'Other Resources', then 'PageSpeed Insights' to use this Free Tool:
Click to Enlarge Image
- Mobile Test
Test any site to see how responsive it is on various devices - select a device first then type in your URL.
- Not a Test but Best Practices Interstitial Ads Policy
Using interstitials? App download interstitials and other forms of interstitials are popup-ads that some businesses use to promote the download of their Apps or any kind of disruption (eg. gates, forced sign-ups) set up to extract an action before the user can use the site. To make a site mobile responsive avoid such practice that "disrupts the visitor’s usage of the site" (use a banner instead). Other mistakes to avoid which are discussed in full by Google are:
Blocked JavaScript, CSS and image files
Unplayable content
Faulty redirects
Mobile-only 404s
Irrelevant cross-links
Slow mobile pages
Also watch Google's Video on AdMob Interstitials Best Practice on the use of interstitials and how this may affect your mobile-friendliness ranking.
- Last but not least, if your site is hosted on Blogger.com you can format your site to be mobile-friendly by customing its template for mobile search as distinct from your desktop template like so:
- Log in to your account, go to TEMPLATE,
- Select "Yes. Show mobile template on mobile devices"
- Click on the Drop-down box to select your mobile template
- Click Save - bottom RHS. See both templates side-by-side.
TIP: Keep your mobile template simpler than the desktop's for better, mobile user-experience.
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