Since April 21, Google has expanded its use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. On Google's Webmaster Central blog:
This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.
Wow. Triple wow. The implications for web designers, content managers, content strategists and web writers are huge.
Makes sense? Of course.
If you're googling on a smartphone, you do not want to be sent to a site where the text is miniscule, or you have to scroll sideways on every line, or links are too small to tap. You want Google to show you search results that are easy to use on a smartphone screen. Obviously. Because when you land on an old-fashioned page, you leave. It's not worth the hassle.
Now Google has changed its mighty algorithm to pander to your needs. Nice Google. Kind Google. Kind to searchers, that is:
We’re boosting the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on mobile search results. Now searchers can more easily find high-quality and relevant results where text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling.
And kind to web designers too. Long ago in 2013, Google told us to get going with mobile-friendly design. More than a broad hint, wouldn't you think?
Google warns about smartphone SEO in June 2013
Google even showed us how to optimise smartphone sites for SEO
But how about mobile-friendly content?
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