Google.com has become synonymous with searching online; it is even used as a verb. ("What's the name of that guy in that film? Never mind. I'll Google it.") So when this giant of information makes major changes in its search engine algorithms, people pay attention and adjust accordingly.
In response to the increasing number of online searches on mobile devices, starting April 21, 2015, Google will return search results for mobile-friendly websites first.
What does this mean for your classic movie blog? It means it might be more difficult for readers to find your corner of the web, even if you have great traffic and wonderful content. What can you do?
Make sure your classic movie blog is easy to use on mobile devices, also known as a mobile-friendly website. You do this by creating a responsive website.
What is a mobile-friendly website? What is a responsive website?
A responsive website adjusts to fit whatever device your reader is using. Readers on either a 30-inch desktop computer, a 15-inch laptop, an 8-inch tablet or a small cell phone will all enjoy a great experience on your classic movie blog. Your blog instantly recognizes the uniqueness of the device and presents its navigation buttons and other parts of your website in the best format to fit the product in your reader's hands.
A responsive website is, thus, mobile-friendly, desktop-friendly, everything-friendly.
Is my classic movie blog mobile-friendly?
Discover whether you are ready for mobile-geddon, as some are calling it, by typing your blog's url at Google's Mobile-Friendly Test website:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
It will let you know within a few seconds if your blog is mobile-friendly or not. Be sure to check out their details just underneath your results for a more in-depth explanation of mobile-friendly pages
How do I make my blog mobile-friendly?
Once you've plugged in your url at Google's Mobile-Friendly Test website and your results are "Not Mobile-Friendly," there will be a number of specific problems that Google will suggest you address.They go into detail about each one. They also have a handy guide to help you transition: https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/get-started/
What if my blog is not mobile-friendly and I do not want to change it?
It's ok. If your blog is not mobile-friendly and you don't change anything, your blog will still be there as usual.
It's just that if your article about the "Fashion Sense of Cary Grant (and How You Can Look Great Too)" is currently on page 2 of Google search results for "Cary Grant" and "Fashion," the article will now be further down in the search results pages, making it less likely that anyone will read it.
How have you adjusted to this change?
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This post is a part of a weekly series on Java's Journey called "Classic Movie Blog Tips." Posts in this series run every Monday. 
This was a very helpful post. Thank you. Happy to report I'm mobile-friendly. I've always tried to be friendly, but now I'm more friendly.
ReplyDeleteLOL! You're always friendly. :) Thanks.
DeleteI was thinking about this potential problem today and here you are like a superhero. Thankfully, I got the A-OK from the analysis. Whew!
ReplyDeleteCaftan Woman,
DeleteI know what you mean! It just about drove me crazy until I discovered the blog was fine.
Never been called a superhero before. You've made my day. :D