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In January, Google launched its mobile test tool as the countdown to what is being referred to as Mobilegeddon began. The questions most people would like answered is how far-reaching will this new update actually be and what will happen if they don't update their sites by Google's deadline which is penciled in for 21st April?
What Will Happen if You Don't Update?
In truth, until Google actually launches its newest update nobody really knows, although there have been a few “give-away clues”. One of which was back in February when Google launched its useful “mobile-friendly test” that shows just how Googlebots perceive existing websites and whether they are mobile-friendly or not.
What Will Happen if You Don't Update?
In truth, until Google actually launches its newest update nobody really knows, although there have been a few “give-away clues”. One of which was back in February when Google launched its useful “mobile-friendly test” that shows just how Googlebots perceive existing websites and whether they are mobile-friendly or not.
Most people have kept up with the times making sure websites are mobile-friendly simply because the market has demanded they do so. However, to answer the question “what will happen if you don't update your site” - the answer is your site will not rank as highly in Google's mobile searches which means you stand to lose out on a lot of traffic.
In short, the new update is set to improve rankings of mobile-friendly sites that enhance user experience on mobile devices. Websites that are not run the risk of being demoted. However, it's important to bear in mind Google's mobile-friendly update is set to affect mobile search results only and not those done on a laptop or desktop computer.
On top of this, the algorithm is set to be applied globally and will be done “page by page” in real time. What does this all mean? That every page will be judged separately to assess whether it is mobile-friendly or not. In short, if some of your pages are not but others are, you might just find your site would not be affected or adversely ranked as being unfriendly depending on how many pages are friendly and how many are not.
In short, the new update is set to improve rankings of mobile-friendly sites that enhance user experience on mobile devices. Websites that are not run the risk of being demoted. However, it's important to bear in mind Google's mobile-friendly update is set to affect mobile search results only and not those done on a laptop or desktop computer.
On top of this, the algorithm is set to be applied globally and will be done “page by page” in real time. What does this all mean? That every page will be judged separately to assess whether it is mobile-friendly or not. In short, if some of your pages are not but others are, you might just find your site would not be affected or adversely ranked as being unfriendly depending on how many pages are friendly and how many are not.
You would also lose out on the “real time” aspect of the update which allows you to assess just how beneficial it's been to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Those that are will be crawled by Googlebots which will establish the fact before the new algorithm rewards them. However, if a page was updated and turns out to be unfriendly, the result would be reversed when your site is crawled by Googlebots and you may find the reward is to see your site demoted a little further down the line.
Google's End Goal
Google's end goal is to enhance searcher experience with their new update turning frustration into a more positive and seamless experience for mobile users. If you are among those who have failed to get your website mobile-friendly, then it might well prove to be a rather expensive oversight resulting in a loss of revenue due to the fact you'll be missing out on mobile searches to your site.
Resolving the Problem
Fixing the problem may not prove to be a massive endeavour and could be as easy as getting a developer to change a few simple things, namely to remove blocks on certain files and to update the robots.txt file, both of which are things a developer would understand and fix in a jiffy. At the other end of the scale, the task might be rather more in-depth and could mean a complete site redesign so that it's more responsive incorporating the all-important mobile website “best practices”.
Google's End Goal
Google's end goal is to enhance searcher experience with their new update turning frustration into a more positive and seamless experience for mobile users. If you are among those who have failed to get your website mobile-friendly, then it might well prove to be a rather expensive oversight resulting in a loss of revenue due to the fact you'll be missing out on mobile searches to your site.
Resolving the Problem
Fixing the problem may not prove to be a massive endeavour and could be as easy as getting a developer to change a few simple things, namely to remove blocks on certain files and to update the robots.txt file, both of which are things a developer would understand and fix in a jiffy. At the other end of the scale, the task might be rather more in-depth and could mean a complete site redesign so that it's more responsive incorporating the all-important mobile website “best practices”.
Worst-case Scenario
In a worst-case scenario if you have not updated your site to be mobile-friendly, you may find that all your sales-driven organic traffic that comes from mobile devices simply vanishes altogether when Google's update comes into force With this said, it's thought the worst that could happen is for results to show a decrease of about 50 to 80% which is still something that should get you worried enough to make sure your site is mobile-friendly right now rather than risk waiting any longer to do so.
In a worst-case scenario if you have not updated your site to be mobile-friendly, you may find that all your sales-driven organic traffic that comes from mobile devices simply vanishes altogether when Google's update comes into force With this said, it's thought the worst that could happen is for results to show a decrease of about 50 to 80% which is still something that should get you worried enough to make sure your site is mobile-friendly right now rather than risk waiting any longer to do so.
Author Honey Wood
