Earlier this year, Google gave us a head’s up that mobile friendliness would be used as a ranking signal for websites in organic search. Sites that were not mobile friendly could be negatively affected in their search ranking. In fact, Google issued a deadline of April 21 for sites to operate effectively and efficiently on smart phones along with providing an app to “test” a site for its mobile responsiveness. The reason behind this “mandate” by the search giant was simple: Increasingly more people are using their phones to conduct research on products and services. Google wants sites not just to look good on mobile but to be easier for users to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.
How do you get your website mobile-friendly if you already haven’t? The easiest way is to have a responsive site, which means your website changes and functions differently depending on the device on which it’s being viewed. Your site will display differently when viewed on a desktop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. More importantly, your visitors will have a user experience designed specifically for the device they are on when viewing your website. When properly strategized, not only will your ranking remain in place and improve, but your conversions will increase too.
The key elements of your mobile-friendly site include:
- Avoid using software such as Flash
- Ensure that the text size/font is readable without having to zoom
- Contact information and the call to action should be front and center so people can easily tap a phone number to call or fill out a form for more information
- Content needs to be sized to the screen to avoid too much zooming & horizontal scrolling
- Links should be placed far enough apart so they are easily discernible
- Be sure to have consistent branding
Over the few months, we are seeing some in the insurance industry update and revamp their websites for mobile friendliness. Taking the steps necessary to ensure a responsive site is critical to digital success.
