In case you haven’t heard the news yet, Google has recently announced on its Webmaster blog that it is going to start rewarding websites that are designed with HTML5 and responsive layouts to better serve the growing smartphone communities across the globe. Experts are predicting that this will have a serious impact on existing businesses that have not updated to the latest responsive technology and their sites are expected to take huge penalties within the search rankings.
For those who are not hip on responsive technology, check out responsive website guide.
What Impact Will this Have on My Business?
So what does the Google Update mean for local Upstate businesses in Spartanburg and Greenville? Really, it all depends on how you’re currently using your website and where its traffic comes from. If most of its visitors are existing clients that you’ve directed there on your business cards and flyers, then you can probably continue with your website as-is over the near future…as long as you realize that your natural search engine rankings will likely drop quickly.
For newer Upstate businesses, this announcement also serves as a golden opportunity to seize a large portion of market share from others not taking action. Off the top of my head, businesses like local insurance firms, used car dealerships and entertainment venues are going to get hit the hardest since they rely on that natural traffic to generate new leads. Those who act quickly will likely see their search rankings sour in popularity on the 21st since the competition will essentially become invisible and not indexed for smartphones at all.
What Do I Need to Do?
Honestly, that’s a tough question to answer without seeing your existing website firsthand. In most cases, your site can be converted to a responsive website and keep the exact same layout, appearance and feel. Others may be more interested in launching a simple mobile site, which means that your business will have one destination for desktop users and another one for mobile devices. Since Google can distinguish between the two types, it’s okay to have both at once.
The best move, however, is to take full advantage of this opportunity and have a completely new website designed from scratch with a sleek new look, faster loading times and 100% optimized content to guarantee you the best possible chances of being found. We will be more than happy to discuss how to proceed with you though; simply reach out to us and we will have a look.
When Do I Need to Act?
Google has announced that the latest algorithm update will be taken live on April 21st, 2015. And almost immediately, the search engines will begin to shift by showing favoritism towards responsive websites. While the ranking adjustments normally take a few days to normalize, the effects will be felt within the first few hours.
So my advice is for you to take action now…right away…and contact us to see how we can get your site responsive ready before April 21st. We ask customers to reach out via email so we can do a full analysis on your website before considering any type of commitment, because we went to prove to you now and in the future that nobody knows search optimization in Spartanburg like Web Synergy.
If you have any questions then please reach out to us immediately. Time really is of the essence here and we’d hate to see you heavily penalized for not acting fast enough.