Google Mobile-Friendly Update And The Effects So Far

As per their announcement, on April 21st Google launched the new Mobile-Friendly update to their search algorithm. With the advent of such big news from the search engine giant, the web was abuzz with speculation on how this was going to effect rankings. Now that some time has passed since the introduction of these changes, lets take a look at how these changes have affected search engine results and how to go forward in the future.

Google confirmed on their official blog that the new ranking signal was in place as planned. They have also been transparent in reporting how this will effect rankings and how to update your website to avoid a negative consequence. Some points outlined are:

– The update will primarily affect results on Mobile devices.
– The update will affect how individual pages rank, not how your overall website will rank.
– Search results of all languages around the world will be regulated by the update.
– Google encourages website owners to use their Mobile-Friendly test to see whether your website conforms.

More information can be found at the following link, at the official Google blog:
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.ca/2015/04/faqs-april-21st-mobile-friendly.html

While there have been some reports of noticeable changes in rankings and indexing results, it seems as though the Mobile-Friendly update will roll out over a longer period of time, as has been the case with some of Google’s other updates. Within the first week the Webmaster community noticed the most changes on the 22nd of April, along with less significant changes over the rest of the week. Therefore, although there were some changes within the first week, this is just the beginning of the update and the changes should have a ripple effect into the future.

With SEO in mind, what can we take away from the results of the initial phase of the update? Although changes to rankings and results may be mild at this point, it is wise not to ignore this new ranking signal when it comes to implementing SEO or building your website. This slower implementation allows time for website owners to adapt their sites and insure that they do not miss out on the valuable traffic of mobile device users.

While this new update will effect how Google ranks your website, it is important for web site owners to still consider the following points when executing site design:

– Quality and unique content is still key to ranking highly on any search engine.
– Good page design including informative titles, tags and URL names.
– Positive signals from social media and other Internet outlets.

Good SEO takes in a wide range of factors. For expert advice on how to adapt to Google’s new Media-Friendly update, or assistance with implementing a professional all-round SEO strategy, contact the team at Slavtech.com.

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