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Google's mobile-friendly algorithm more important this May

[Web Development, Google, Optimization, UI/UX Design]
Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 3.24.32 PM Last April, Google announced its deadline for websites to be "mobile-friendly" in order to keep their highest standings in organic search result rankings. What this means is that Google began factoring into its search results whether or not websites were designed for mobile devices, making them easier for smartphone visitors to access and navigate on their hand-held screens. This has often been referred to as "Mobilegeddon"  - as many businesses needed to strategize and re-evaluate their websites, often resulting in updating them or rebuilding them entirely. If you're unfamiliar with this algorithm, take a glimpse at VDW's post from last year that details the ins and outs of Google's mobile-friendly requirements. After several years of exponential mobile growth, the percentage of website traffic coming from smartphones crossed the 30 percent mark, and for many of our clients this continues to climb to nearly 50% and sometimes more. Luckily, Vermont Design Works understood this trend and made the call 2 years ago to begin building exclusively responsive, mobile friendly sites and web applications.  Therefore, any of our newest projects have all of the elements they need to continue ranking high in search results - even with Google's new algorithm. And it's a good thing, too, because due to this continued increase in smartphone visits, Google has decided to increase the level of importance it places on websites being mobile-friendly - beginning this May! Now, it's more important than ever to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, so that you do not see any negative impact on your organic search results. After all - organic search is one of the most valuable ways many businesses get leads, sell their services & products, or provide information to consumers. For more information about how this change will roll out and how it could impact your site, click here. VDW has served many of our long-time clients, upgrading their former sites to those that are modern & mobile-friendly (or what you might hear referred to as "responsive"). Without needing to completely overhaul their look and feel, we were able to restructure the framework of these websites so that they display beautifully on smartphones and remain easy to use. Some of these clients include Farrell Distributing, JWH Design & Cabinetry, Jericho Cafe & Tavern, and Oppenheimer & Close to name just a few. We are also about to start production of Northwestern Counseling & Support Services' revamped website so that it, too, will be mobile-friendly. If you want to protect your rankings in Google's organic search results, it's time to ensure your site is mobile-friendly. Web traffic on smartphones will continue to increase, and Google will continue to rank sites optimized for these visitors higher! So, if it's time to upgrade, contact VDW and we can partner with you to plan the best way to reformat and rebuild your website so that it looks great no matter what device visitors use to view it! This will keep your precious rankings intact and solidify your business goals.