We wanted to address some of the misinformation and panic we have been seeing in regards to the Google mobile update, and its handling of mobile websites. It is true that they have updated their ranking methodology to give some preference to those sites that are mobile responsive or display mobile specific content. So does this mean that if your current site doesn’t support mobile devices yet, it will drop from sight? No, it does not.

Here are a few pertinent facts:

  • The Google mobile update only affects mobile device users and their search results. Desktop users’ results are unaffected.
  • This change isn’t the only factor in ranking mobile websites. In fact, it’s one of numerous factors that could easily affect your search rankings more than their new change alone.
  • Your site will not disappear from searches as a result of this change.
  • If you aren’t in a competitive business/industry, or are highly targeted in your digital marketing strategy, this change may have little to no effect.

We highly recommend building websites that fully support mobile devices to give your web users the best browsing experience possible. If a website redesign is in your budget, this is a good reason to get going.

For more information, see Google’s FAQs about the April 21st mobile-friendly update.