The short answer: Google has ranked mobile-friendly pages higher in mobile search results since April 2015. In March 2016 it announced that, beginning in May, it would increase the effect of that signal. If your pages are already mobile-friendly, you do not need to do anything. If they are not, people searching on phones may find your competitors first. Test your pages with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test, check the Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console, and fix the common problems: a missing viewport tag, tiny text, links too close together, content wider than the screen and Flash.
Imagine a customer standing in a street in Dhaka, searching on a phone for a service you provide. Google shows ten results. Yours is somewhere in them, but the page is hard to read and hard to tap on a small screen. A competitor's page, which works well on a phone, appears above yours.
This is the situation Google has been steadily moving towards, and this month it takes another step. This article explains what Google has announced, what it means for a business website, how to test your own pages in a few minutes and how to fix the usual problems.
If you want the basics of what a responsive website is, read my earlier article, Why Your Business Needs a Responsive Website in 2016. This one is about Google and your rankings.
What Has Google Announced?
| Date | What happened | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| November 2014 | Google began showing a "Mobile-friendly" label beside some results in mobile searches | Searchers can see which pages are easy to use on a phone |
| 21 April 2015 | Google started using mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal in mobile search results | Mobile-friendly pages can rank higher in searches made on a phone |
| 16 March 2016 | Google announced that from May it would increase the effect of that signal | The advantage for mobile-friendly pages gets bigger |
In its March 2016 announcement, Google said that sites which are already mobile-friendly will not be affected by the update. It also said that the intent of the search is still a very strong signal, so a page with great, relevant content can still rank well even if it is not mobile-friendly.
What Does It Mean for Your Business?
- It applies to mobile search results. The signal affects searches made on phones. It does not change how your site ranks in searches made on a computer.
- It is judged page by page. One mobile-friendly page does not make the whole site pass. Your home page may pass while an old services page fails.
- It is one signal among many. Good content, links from other websites and relevance to what people search for still matter a lot.
- It matters most when results are close. If two pages answer a question equally well, the one that works on a phone has the advantage.
- It is about your visitors as well as Google. A page that is hard to use on a phone loses customers whatever its ranking.
So you should not panic, but you should check. Of all the possible SEO tasks, this one is easy to test and usually possible to fix.
How Does Google Decide Whether a Page Is Mobile-Friendly?
Google has published the main things it looks at. In plain words, a page should:
- Tell phones to show it at the screen's real width. This is done with the viewport tag.
- Fit the screen. Visitors should not have to scroll sideways to see the whole page.
- Use text that can be read without zooming.
- Have links and buttons that are easy to tap, with enough space between them to avoid hitting the wrong one.
- Avoid plugins such as Flash, which most smartphones do not support.
- Let Googlebot load your CSS, JavaScript and image files, so it can see how the page really looks.
Google does not publish exact numbers for text size or button size. As rules of thumb, many designers use body text of around 16 pixels and tap targets of at least 44 to 48 pixels. Treat these as a guide, and always test the real page.
How to Test Your Website
- Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. Enter the address of a page and Google tells you whether it considers the page mobile-friendly. If not, it lists the problems. Test your home page, your main service or product pages and your contact page.
- Check the Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console. This is the free tool that used to be called Webmaster Tools. The report lists pages on your whole site that have mobile problems, such as text that is too small, links too close together or content wider than the screen. If you have not verified your site yet, do it now.
- Search on your phone. Look for your business and your main services. See whether the "Mobile-friendly" label appears beside your results.
- Use a real phone. Tests are helpful, but nothing replaces trying to read, tap and fill in a form with your thumb, on mobile data.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
| Problem | How it looks | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| No viewport tag | The page looks like a tiny desktop page and visitors must zoom | Add <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> to the page's head |
| Text too small | You have to pinch to read | Increase the base font size and the line spacing |
| Links and buttons too close | You tap the wrong thing | Make buttons larger and add space between links |
| Content wider than the screen | A horizontal scroll bar appears | Use flexible widths, and make images and tables scale down to the screen |
| Flash | A blank box or a missing video on phones | Replace it with HTML5, CSS or a standard video |
| CSS or JavaScript blocked | Google cannot see the design, so it may fail the test | Allow Googlebot to access those files in your robots.txt |
Many of these fixes are small. A site that was built with a fixed width for desktop screens, however, may need a new design instead of a patch.
What to Do If Your Site Fails
- Note exactly what the tools report. The list of problems tells you what to fix first.
- Fix the quick wins. A viewport tag, bigger text, more space around links and unblocked files can each be fixed quickly.
- If the layout is the problem, redesign it to be responsive. A responsive design uses one website at one address, which Google has recommended as the easiest setup to look after.
- On WordPress, check your theme. Many current themes, including the default Twenty Sixteen theme, are responsive. An old theme may be the whole problem.
- Test again, then ask Google to look again. In Search Console, use Fetch as Google and submit the page for indexing, so Google sees the fixed version sooner.
A Quick Mobile-Friendly Checklist
- The viewport tag is on every page
- No page needs sideways scrolling on a phone
- Text can be read without zooming
- Links and buttons are easy to tap and well spaced
- There is no Flash, and nothing depends on plugins
- CSS, JavaScript and images are not blocked from Googlebot
- My home page, service pages and contact page pass Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
- The Mobile Usability report in Search Console shows no errors
- I tested the site on a real phone, on mobile data
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my website disappear from Google if it is not mobile-friendly?
No. The signal only affects how pages rank in mobile search results, and Google has said that relevance is still a very strong signal. But in a competitive search you give your rivals an advantage if your page is hard to use on a phone.
Does this change affect my rankings on desktop computers?
Google has said the signal applies to mobile search results. Your desktop rankings are not changed by it.
How soon will I see a difference after I fix my site?
Google has to visit your pages again to notice the change, and that can take some time. You can speed it up by using Fetch as Google in Search Console and submitting the pages.
Is a responsive website automatically mobile-friendly?
Usually, but not always. A responsive website can still fail if its text is tiny, its buttons are too close together or Google cannot load its files. Always run the test.
Can I use a separate mobile website instead?
Yes, if it is set up correctly, but it means maintaining two sites and linking them properly. For most small businesses, one responsive site is simpler and easier to keep up to date.
Do I need a mobile app to rank on phones?
No. Google's mobile-friendly signal is about web pages. An app is a separate decision, and most businesses should start with a good mobile-friendly website.
Want Your Website Checked and Fixed?
If you are not sure whether your pages pass Google's mobile test, or you already know that they do not, I can help. I design and develop websites for businesses, and I can look at your site, tell you honestly what needs to change and fix it. Send me a short message with your website address.
