ACtion Magazine - March 2015 - (Page 24)

Mobile is king Angie Kilbourne I t's ofﬁcial. Mobile device use has become so proliﬁc in our society that we now spend more time on them than watching TV, according to Business Insider Intelligence. With these smaller screens becoming our primary go-to device, it's more important than ever before to ensure your business' website is mobile-friendly. And that's not an overstatement - it's a conﬁrmed fact straight from the Ofﬁcial Google Webmaster blog. Google recently announced it would begin labeling websites in its search results with a "Mobile-friendly" tag where appropriate. How does Google determine if a site is mobile-friendly? Here are some speciﬁc parameters Google's searchbot will automatically discover while indexing a site: 1. Avoids software that is not commonly used on mobile devices, such as Flash. 2. Uses text that is readable without zooming. 3. Sizes content to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom. 4. Places links far enough apart so users can easily select the correct one. Google made it clear in its blog that moving forward, sites tagged as mobile-friendly will get ranked higher during mobile searches. Thus, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is extremely important because not having that label is likely costing you customers. As Google continues to tweak its search algorithms to focus on superior user experience, you can expect increased pressure on website owners from the search engine giant to deliver an optimum experience to 24 ACTION * March 2015 " ...Sixty-one percent of mobile users will leave a website immediately if it is not mobile-friendly... visitors. "Consumers are becoming less and less willing to put up with poor user experiences on their mobile devices because organizations fail to adapt to changing expectations," says Jay Taylor, managing director at Leverage Digital and a contributor with Search Engine Watch. "Your prospective customers will ﬁnd the path of least resistance, and that path will lead straight to your competitors in 2015 if they have a mobile-friendly website, and your organization does not." Need more reasons? If you still aren't convinced, consider these points: ● Most mobile devices are GPSenabled, allowing their users to get directions and ﬁnd nearby stores and services. ● Google also will tailor search engine results to mobile devices based on local listings, when appropriate. ● As of January 2014, approximately 58 percent of U.S. adults own a smartphone, 32 percent own an ereader and 42 percent own a tablet, according to the Pew Research Center. ● Sixty-one percent of mobile users will leave a website immediately if it is not mobile-friendly, according to a recent Google survey. ● Venn Digital search engine optimization (SEO) expert Andrew Akesson predicts that Google will eventually push all websites that are not mobile-friendly off page one of a search results page. There will always be competition within this industry, but there is no reason to handicap your business and your marketing efforts by not investing in technology for today and tomorrow. To test your website's mobile-friendly status, visit google.com/webmasters/tools/ mobile-friendly/. ❆ http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - March 2015

Engine cooling systems: Electric cooling fan operating strategies
System Charge Determination
Outlook
Service Port
Leonard's Law
Virtual View
Heavy duty and off road
Last Watch
Coolin Corner
Letters to the Editor
By the numbers
Industry News
Association News
In Memoriam
New Products

ACtion Magazine - March 2015