Icon Website Design

When Google unveiled the update of its search engine algorithms in the year 2015, a new word was gifted to the English dictionary. Yes, its ‘Mobilegeddon’, a name lovingly created by web developers to denote the changes evoked by this update. The main objective of Google’s update is to enable more mobile-friendly viewing of websites across different types of smartphones and tablets. This ensures that web pages load faster and that images and videos are also quicker to load on mobile devices.

This is a reflection of the growing use of smartphones and other mobile devices as the primary mode for browsing and searching the internet. By incorporating these updated algorithms in your website, or that of your client’s, you are ensuring that your website is more responsive to visitors of your website who are searching or browsing on their smartphones. With Google announcing a Mobilegeddon v2 coming soon, it is time to ask yourself if your Fort Lauderdale website design is ready for this latest update.

How Mobile Savvy is Your Company’s Fort Lauderdale Website Design

Although there are countless updates released every year, the reason this update was named ‘Mobilegeddon’ was because it was a major update that caused many websites that were previously performing very well on mobile search rankings to fall perilously low after the update (without it affecting the desktop search engine rankings though).

Mobilegeddon v2 is being released in May 2016 and is anticipated with both dread and curiosity by web developers the world over. This version is only going to be an extension of last year’s update, with more requirements for websites to be mobile friendly. Google has released a statement stating that though it is important that websites be ready for the update and be strongly mobile friendly, the main criteria for ranking high in search engine results is still great content that is relevant and interesting. So that is one less thing to worry about if you are sure that your website features content that will keep people coming back for more!

However, it is still important to ensure that your mobile search engine rankings are not affected. This is because the competition in the field of online business is getting hotter with time. Also, the primary device that millions of people use for accessing the internet all over the world is their smartphone or tablet or any other mobile device. So even if your website is optimized for desktop searches, it is still smart to get it optimized for mobile searches too as this is where your target audience will be looking for the product or service that you have to offer. This is where you will be able to connect with them more strongly. The mobile platform is where loyalties are created and maintained. So if you want to be one step ahead of your competition and stand out from the crowd, you had better ensure that your website is ready for Mobilegeddon v2. If you have already done what is necessary after Mobilegeddon 2015, then you can rest assured that you will be ready for Mobilegeddon 2016!

How to Know If Your Fort Lauderdale Website Design Passes the Test?

Here are a few handy pointers:

• Google adds the label ‘mobile friendly’ under the URL of websites in mobile search results. So the easiest thing to do to ensure that your website is indeed ready for Mobilegeddon 2016 is to search for this label. When using a mobile device, check if you can see the label under the URL. You can also use mobile-friendly testing tools which are available online to help you do this or talk to a reputable web design company in Fort Lauderdale, like Icon Website Design.
• You have text that is readable without having to zoom in to get a clear reading.
• Links are placed at enough of a distance from each other so that there is no mix-up when tapping a particular link.
• You are not using a software like Adobe Flash.
• Content is sized to the screen so that there is no need to scroll in a horizontal angle or zoom in order to read the text.
• Review Google’s mobile-friendly guidelines and ensure that your website design checks with a majority of the outlined requirements.
• Use third-party tools to ensure that your website is mobile friendly. There are a lot of plugins, extensions, and components that work with third-party elements such as social media tools or shopping tools, etc.

If all factors are covered on your website design, you can be sure that Google will index it as mobile friendly. If it isn’t, then you need to have it done in-house or contact a Fort Lauderdale web design group. Icon Website Design can make it mobile friendly for you. Once you get it updated, within 72 hours the website design will register as mobile friendly and be indexed by Google as such.

Don’t Assume Your Desktop Rankings Will Transfer to Mobile Searches

Please remember that this will only be applicable for your mobile search results and will not affect search results from a desktop, laptop, or tablet. Smartphone users are the only ones who are the target audience of this mobile-friendly strategy by Google. This means that even if your search engine results are at the top of the list in desktop searches, you can still be down in the listings if your site is not mobile-friendly. So it is always better to not take things for granted and just assume that your site is good to go.

The smartphone user has been shown to be more active and more likely to buy things online than users on desktops and other devices. Therefore, it is the wise business owners who want their companies to get the best results in search engine rankings that need to ensure their website design does well in Fort Lauderdale, drives traffic to their site, and makes them happy!

Ease in Mobile Web Browsing Positively Affects Fort Lauderdale Businesses

Google AMP may not be on the tips of the tongues of most owners of Fort Lauderdale business, but it should be. It definitely is well known to website designers who should be well-versed in the importance of responsive websites.

Google’s Accelerated Mobile Page project, or AMP for short, launched in early 2016 with its goal to quicken web browsing for mobile devices. The idea is to provide the best in visual and user-adaptable services through the AMP HTML open framework by having pages powered by AMP instantaneously load with all the bells and whistles. This includes graphics, animations, and video that should be available to all of us on our smartphones and mobile devices.

Significance to Fort Lauderdale Business Website Design

Fort Lauderdale businesses with the best in website design may hope that their company website will be appealing to mobile device users. The truth is they need to check.

Millions of people actively use their smartphones for everything. From shopping and finding the best in entertainment to banking and service repairs, Fort Lauderdale businesses can expect to find at least 75% of their customers (if not more) have visited their online business website from their mobile device. It may be simply to look at store hours or to review the menu before making reservations. This is why it makes sense for Fort Lauderdale business owners to visit their websites to ensure they are optimized for a smooth and seamless experience on differing platforms – from desktop to mobile.

Responsive Websites Working with AMP

A website that loads slowly on mobile devices is more likely to lose the interest and patience of visitors coming to the site. Fort Lauderdale businesses need to invest in making their websites responsive. A responsive website is one that will seamlessly transition from desktop computer to mobile devices without too much notice. Whether it be a tablet or smartphone, responsive websites offer people the option of accessing them on whatever type of devices they choose to use.

If your website is not responsive, you can expect to lose 80-90% of customers coming to your website through a mobile device. Statistics show that people who are unable to navigate easily through a Fort Lauderdale business website will leave the site and take their money elsewhere or their loyalty to a competitor’s brand.

Some lifelong customers might try to access their favorite Fort Lauderdale business on a desktop computer or even call an establishment that they frequent in Fort Lauderdale, but the vast majority will simply click off a non-responsive website, pull up their favorite web browser, and search for a similar business in the area.

You don’t want this to happen! That is why it is essential to get your website responsive and your web pages optimized for AMP. Doing so will result in greater conversions and sales on your website as well as build stronger customer loyalty.

Consult with Website Designer

Now that you’ve tested out your site and you don’t like what you experienced, it is time to consult with an experienced web designer who can walk through your website with you and discuss your best options. Give us a call today: 800-558-1017.