Avoid Google SERP Penalty Make Sure Website is Mobile Friendly

Google is rolling out some changes this week that are going to penalize websites that are not mobile ready. It’s rare that they warn about upcoming changes so I think it is safe to assume that if your website is not mobile ready, according to Google, that you may experience a sharp decline in Google listing.

To check your website use the following tool: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Even if you think your site is mobile friendly use the above tool. I was using some older themes and had customized them so that they appeared mobile friendly. Such as scaling for smaller devices, but the Google Mobile Friendly tool still saw them as not ready. It’s important that that tool shows that your website is mobile friendly. The best thing to do is to change your website theme to something that is advertised as 100% mobile friendly. Once you change, test it immediately to be sure that it is. Some say they are responsive when in reality they are still failing Googles Mobile Friendly test. Once you find one that you like then go about fine tuning it into what you would like your website to look like.

It’s hard to recommend a specific one, because each website has its own needs. So the best thing to do is search for “Responsive” web themes.

Here are a few I am testing out on a couple different websites. I run websites that are cookie cutter pages to fully customized.

  • Twenty Fourteen – WordPress Basic Theme
  • Customizr – Free version has some customization, premium has more.
  • evolve-  Free version has lots customization, premium has more.

Here is the alert sent out by Google.

Is your site mobile-friendly?
Starting April 21, Google Search will be expanding its use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. Double-check nnnnnnnn.com and your other sites are ready for this change by testing pages of your site with the Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
Take Mobile-Friendly Test

This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in Google Search results. Users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results optimized for their devices.

By being mobile-friendly, you’ll benefit too by growing your audience and revenue across all screens.

Responsive Display
My site’s already mobile optimized: do I need to take action?
Even if you already have a mobile-optimized site, it’s worth taking some time to double-check your site’s pages using the Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Also, check out the AdSense Multiscreen Implementation Guide, which covers AdSense implementation best practices to improve monetization on mobile.

Mobile Usability Report
My site isn’t mobile-friendly: how do I get started?
The guide to mobile-friendly sites can help you get started, while you get a full list of mobile usability issues across your sites by logging in to your Webmaster Tools account and using the Mobile Usability Report. You can also check out the AdSense Multi-Screen Starter Guide and post questions to Webmaster Central Forums to get support.

Mobile is critical to your business and will continue to be so. Make sure visitors can have a good experience on your site when they’re visiting from their mobile devices.

See you online,
The Google AdSense Team

Good luck getting your websites upgraded to be Mobile Friendly!