Do you ever procrastinate until a problem becomes so big you are forced to deal with it? Now is one of those times if your website isn’t mobile friendly. Make sure your site passes the mobile friendly website test before it loses major rank on Google.

Passing the mobile friendly test will give you better exposure and traffic

Mobile devices have finally outmatched computers! According to a report by comScore, 60% of time spent using digital media is accessed from a mobile device. Your customers are on the go, all of the time. They’re using smartphones, iPads, iPods, Kindles, Apple watches… and a new mobile gadget will likely spring up before this article is posted! Mobile devices are hugely important for your online marketing strategy because mobile devices allow customers to stay connected. Whether they are sitting on a train, waiting for their kid’s practice to end, or standing in line at the grocery store, they want to be informed and entertained during those in between times.

Is your website designed with on-the-go people in mind? Do your pages load quickly on mobile devices, with text that is easy to read on a small screen? Are your buttons big enough to click with a fingertip? There are many things that go into making a mobile friendly website, but these things definitely impact the user experience. It’s safe to assume that MOST of your visitors are accessing your site with a mobile device, so make sure that your website measures up in the mobile friendly test.

Google punishes websites that don’t measure up with mobile friendly

Mobile-friendliness directly increases the exposure your website gets through search engines. Google harshly punishes websites that are not mobile friendly. Google has even created a tool so people can check if their site is currently mobile friendly. If your website is not mobile friendly, your ranking will soon drop so low that you’ll essentially be dead to search engines. A mobile friendly website is not just a luxury- it’s an absolute necessity.

Use Google’s tool to see if your website passes the mobile friendly test. Don’t avoid this tool because you’re afraid of getting caught with a non-mobile website. Google has robots crawling your website regularly to check for these things, so really you can’t prevent them from finding out.

Prioritize functionality to pass the mobile friendly test

Designing a mobile friendly website is easy if you know what to prioritize. The key thing is keeping function over form. Above all else, mobile friendly websites need to be easy to use. You must simplify your website dramatically, in most cases even compromising your visual design. Prioritize your written content and images.

Make it easy for people to take the action you want them to take. Whether you want visitors to sign up, click to buy, or call your office, make sure they can do it in 2-3 steps. Remember that mobile customers are on the go, so time is limited.

Remember that many people are using their mobile devices to kill time, so this is a great opportunity to offer written content. Build links into your mobile friendly website so people can access your blog posts, articles and body copy. The font size must be large enough to read comfortably. Make sure you text is contained so they won’t need to scroll across the width of the page. You might want people to comment or enter information, but keep data entry to a minimum on your mobile friendly website.

Don’t complicate things by making a separate mobile friendly site

You don’t have to create a fully separate website to pass the mobile friendly test. You don’t need a new domain name or hosting, or a second subdirectory. The simplest way to create a mobile friendly version of your website is to use a responsive web design platform and/or template so you can manage and update your desktop and mobile site from the same place.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew! Either hire a professional web designer or use a responsive platform to build a mobile friendly website. Most website managers have access to analytics so you can check to see what percent of your visitors of using mobile devices. You can also check to see the last time Google crawled your site. Try to pass the mobile friendly test as soon as possible so Google doesn’t push you out of the search engine loop.

Build a website that will dominate the mobile friendly website test

Would you pass the mobile friendly test? Make your website mobile friendly as soon as possible, or say goodbye to your visitors and search engine exposure. Your website must function properly to prevent losing mobile visitors, plus Google will bury your website alive if it isn’t mobile friendly!